


When Worlds Collapse

by ayeupstate



Category: Elyza Lex (Fanverse), Elyza Lex - Fandom, Lexark - Fandom, QTWD
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-05-27 15:09:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 31,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6289426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ayeupstate/pseuds/ayeupstate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elyza was the definition of a loner; she had learned the difference between enjoying being alone, and being lonely at a young age. She had never really “needed” anyone in her life, but was fiercely loyal to the few she let in...even the brunette she had met only days before the world went to hell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write some Lexark smut, and somehow it turned into a whole full blown...thing... With that said, this is my first time writing a fanfic, so constructive comments/suggestions are more than welcome. Prompts for additional content also welcome as I would like to continue this.

_It was the graveyard shift, and Kimberly had been suckered into working a double to cover it. Janice, the other waitress, had a sick kid at home – how could she say no? The night had been slow, as expected…the fluorescent light over booth 7 wouldn’t stop flickering and it was driving her nuts – she had asked her manager at least three times now to get it fixed. The TV played some stupid talk show about some irrelevant topic. Only four more hours…only four more hours…_

_Kimberly surveyed the tiny store. A blonde woman who had just recently started coming into the shop pretty regularly was sitting at the counter, and a thirty something guy was making himself comfortable in a booth – back against the wall, legs outstretched across the booth._  
_The guy had been relentlessly hitting on Kimberly from the moment he walked in, despite her obvious lack of interest and subtle protests._  
  
_“Hey baby, why don’t you come take a load off and sit over here with me?” Kim sighed. Here we go again. She was used to having men hit on her – she was attractive, and even though her Delux Donut’s uniform was hideous, it highlighted her figure in surprising ways._  
_“I’m fine right here, thanks.”_  
_“Aw c’mon, I’m just tryin to get to know you beautiful, I don’t bite!” The man snickered. She had a weird gut feeling about him._  
  
_Kim was thankful that she wasn’t completely alone with the guy…but at the same time she felt like she might as well have been. Her frequent glances towards the blonde had gone unnoticed – the woman was in her own world, as she always appeared to be whenever she came in. Her brow was furrowed as she scribbled in a blank notebook._  
  
_“C’mon don’t be a bitch about it.” Kim rolled her eyes and wondered why men couldn’t accept no for an answer. What did she have to do to get him to leave her alone?_  
_“I’ve got stuff to take care of back here, sorry.” She lied, hoping he would eventually take the hint._  
  
_“Can you at least refill my cup first, beautiful?”_  
_Kim sighed, not really wanting to get any closer to this guy, but found herself automatically moving to grab one of the freshly brewed pots of coffee. She stopped briefly in front of the other woman’s spot at the counter to refill her cup as well, and caught a glimpse of the blonde’s work. She was talented, Kim would give her that – it was a rough, but still impressive and – from what Kim could tell – detailed sketch of a motorcycle. The blonde’s eyes never left the page, but she mumbled a quick “thanks”…at least she was somewhat coherent, Kim thought._  
  
_The waitress made her way over to the man who took her approach as an opportunity to, very obviously, check her out. He leered at her, eying her up from head to toe. She felt her skin crawl, feeling more uncomfortable with every step towards the man. She stood on the far side of his booth – she had no desire to be anywhere close to this scumbag, and reached out to fill his mug._  
  
_Suddenly his hand shot out, and grabbed her around the wrist, hard. She yelped in surprise, and dropped the coffee pot as he yanked her closer to him. Some of the hot coffee had landed on her arm, and she cried out again in pain. He paid no mind to her cries, and managed to wrap his other arm around her waist, pulling her onto his lap roughly._  
  
_“What the fuck are you doing, don’t fucking touch me you asshole!” She was squirming, trying to stand up, but he had both arms around her waist now._  
_“C’mon sugar, I’m just tryin to get to know you!” His mouth was right next to her ear, she could feel the heat from his breath – and she could smell the alcohol that lingered in his mouth._  
_Kimberly managed to jab him in the ribs with her elbow, loosening his grip for a second. She seized the opportunity to wiggle free of his grasp. Backing quickly away from the table, she felt herself bump into another body. Whipping around, adrenaline still pumping, she was shocked to see the blonde standing right behind her. She hadn’t even seen her move._  
  
_The blonde took a second to wordlessly assess Kimberly, giving her a reassuring glance that simultaneously said “you’re going to be okay” and “don’t worry, he will pay.” Kim watched as the blonde slowly slid into the booth on opposite side of the man. She never took her eyes off him, meeting his curious glance straight on. Her face looked calm, but you could feel the anger radiating off of her body. The man sensed it too, and he visibly tensed as the woman slid in, making herself comfortable._

_“The fuck do you want…”_

_The woman leaned back into the booth, spreading her arms out on either side of her to rest on the top of the booth. “I’m going to give you thirty seconds to reach into your pocket, pay your tab, and walk out of this building.” This was the most Kim had ever heard the regular talk._

_The man scoffed at her and sipped his coffee, turning away from her and towards the TV in the corner._

_“Don’t fucking tell me what to do.”_

_She didn’t didn’t respond. Leaning forward, she just calmly undid her watch, and laid it on the table, so all parties could see it._

_“Thirty seconds.”_

_The man looked at the blonde, then to Kimberly, then back to the blonde._

_“What is this your girlfriend or somethin’?” He directed his question towards Kimberly, “you some sorta lesbian or something?”_

_When Kim didn’t answer, he looked towards the blonde, “ya know, you’re not so bad lookin either…I could show you two a real good time tonight.” He oogled both of them._

_When there was just five seconds left, the blonde tried once more to reason with him. “I’m going to give you a courtesy warning…you have five seconds left.”_ _He scoffed, even chuckled a little bit, but didn’t move, “what, you gonna beat me up or somethin’? I’d like to see you try.”_

 _The blonde counted down the last few seconds out loud, with a tone that almost came across as…bored?... “Four…three…two…” She picked her watch up and attached it to her wrist, let_ _out a tired sigh and tussled her hair. “I just wanted to remind you that I tried to be reasonable with you.”_

_It was clear that the man had lost interest in this interaction. “Bitch you–“_

_In a flash of movement, the blonde reached across the table, grabbed the man by the back of his neck, and slammed his face down onto the counter – the crunch of his nose breaking was barely audible over Kimberly’s gasp and the man’s surprised shriek. He looked up in horror and shock, there was a pool of blood on the table already. His nose was obviously misshapen._

_“YOU FUCKING BITCH YOU BROKE MY NOSE! FUCKING PSYCHO BITCH!”_

_Blood ran furiously down his face – he had a gash over his eyebrow as well._ _The woman paid no mind to him as she stood and calmly rolled up her sleeves. “Now how about you pay your tab and leave, or I’ll make sure to aim lower next time…”_

_He staggered out of his seat, and took a step towards her, reaching towards the pocketknife that was clipped to his front pocket “WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THIN—“ his words were cut short once more as he crumbled like a pathetic sack when the blonde caught him in the stomach with her knee._

_The woman stood over him as he groaned and rolled around on the floor, desperately trying to catch his breath. She reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, rifling through the contents._

_She turned the leather trifold over to examine it. “This is a nice wallet…and I do need a new one. Funny how life works out isn’t it?” She proceeded to pull out every last dollar he had - $116 in total, and slapped it on the table in front of Kimberly. “And they say good tippers don’t exist these days…”_

_Kimberly stared on in shock. The blonde caught a glimpse of the man trying to rise to his feet. She put her foot square on his chest and forecefully pushed him back to the ground. You could hear the air escape his lungs. Kimberly’s new savior stood over the man valiantly, and stroked her chin, pretending to be deep in thought._

_“I seem to recall warning you I’d aim…” she dragged her foot down his chest to his stomach “…lower…” she situated her foot over his crotch “…next…” the woman started applying steady pressure as she leaned forward to put her full body weight on her now precariously placed foot “…time…”_

_The man squealed in pain as the blonde continued to apply pressure to his penis._

_“OKAY! Okay! Alright, Jesus Christ! I’ll leave! I’ll leave, I’ll – just, get the fuck off me you crazy bitch!”_

_The woman stayed in the same position, but leaned back to release some pressure. “Move and I’ll crush your fucking balls.” His eyes widened, all he could do was nod in acceptance._

_She returned her attention to the wallet, pulling out the rest of the contents. She flicked his credit cards at him one by one, then examined his ID before flicking that at him too._ _“Stephen, is it? Nice to meet you Stephen.” He only groaned back._

_She pocketed his wallet, and then pulled the defeated man to his feet._

_She gently and mockingly slapped him on both cheeks – which he visibly recoiled at._

_“Now you get the fuck out of here and enjoy the rest of your night you fucking creep” The man slinked towards the door. Kim wasn’t sure what would hurt more the next day, his pride, his balls, his stomach, or his nose._

_The blonde sauntered back to her seat at the counter, reopened her sketchbook, and sipped her coffee as if nothing had happened. She felt Kim’s stare, and after a few long seconds, swiveled around on her stool._

_“Are you okay?”_

_“I…yes? I guess?”_

_“Good,” she swiveled back around._

_Kim still stood, rooted to the spot, mouth hanging open. She suddenly remembered the burn on her arm…the skin was bright red, and there were some small blisters arising already. She cradled her arm, the adrenaline was wearing down quickly, and the pain was starting to get worse._

_The blonde swiveled back around once more, suddenly also remembering the burn on Kim’s arm. She stood, and briskly walked around the counter, grabbing a clean rag and soaking it in cold water. She also grabbed a clean mug, filled it with coffee and set it down next to her own. The woman reclaimed her stool, and made herself comfortable at the counter again. Without looking back at Kim, she patted the stool next to her, inviting Kim to sit. Obliging, Kim made her way cautiously to settle in next to the woman. Upon sitting, the woman gingerly took Kim’s injured arm and laid the cold towel over the burn. With the towel lightly applied, the blonde patted her leather jacket down, searching for something. Her hand stopped over something, and she shot a smirk in Kim’s direction. The other woman pulled out a matte black flask from her breast pocket, and took a swig for herself before pouring a rather hearty shot of liquid into both cups._

_“C’mon, you look like you could use this,” she gently urged. Kim hesitated,_ _and looked at her companion who wordlessly eyed Kim, and then the mug – as if silently encouraging Kim to take a sip. Kim sighed, she really_ could _use a drink right now. She took a large gulp, and immediately cringed at amount of liquor, “oh that…is absolutely…horrid…” she managed to spit out in between coughs. Her throat was burning, she had no clue how this woman managed to drink this stuff plain. The blonde’s laughter was contagious, and Kim’s coughs shortly turned into giggles. “It’ll go down easy by the third sip, promise.” The blonde extended her hand “I’m Elyza, by the way.”_

_Kim gripped the blonde girls calloused hand, surprised by how gentle Elyza’s grasp was after witnessing her beat the shit out of a full grown man. “Kimberly. Kim, whichever…” she bowed her head, suddenly nervous to make eye contact with Elyza. “Thank you…for that…”_

_The blonde shrugged, took a sip of coffee, and ran her free hand through her hair while flashing Kim a genuine smile “no need to thank me, any decent person would have done the same.”_

_\----_

The bell above the door chimed, gaining the attention of a few patrons scattered throughout the small shop. Those who did bother to look up took an extra minute to study the attractive blonde as she strode over to her favorite spot at the counter.  
“Elyza! I was wondering when you’d get back!” Delux Donuts was a shit hole, no doubt about that, but they had the best damn cup of coffee in Santa Monica, and Elyza had been coming there regularly for about a year now.  
  
“You know I cant stay away from you for too long, Kim.” Elyza shot Kimberly a playful smirk and settled into her favorite stool at the counter.  
  
“You look like shit. Did you just wake up… or do you have that bug going around, cause if you do, you best get the hell away from me right now,” Kimberly pulled her shirt up over her mouth and nose, and playfully backed away from Elyza.  
  
The disheveled blonde glanced at her watch, it was almost four in the afternoon, but she had only stumbled out of bed some thirty minutes ago. She racked her brain trying to recall at least something from the previous night’s adventures. She thought back to the redhead she had left in her apartment _...hopefully she’s gone by the time I get back…_ Elyza wasn’t one for dating, or any kind of commitment really. She didn’t see the point. And she valued her freedom too much to bother tying herself down to someone. She was charming as hell, and ridiculously attractive though – she had no trouble finding a girl to spend a night with when she wanted to – and she used that to her full advantage.  
  
She was lost in thought, trying to piece together the details of last night when Kim’s voice finally registered to her. “Lyza, hellllooo…” Elyza snapped to attention. “I guess that means you just woke up,” Kim teased, “I want to hear all about your night. Every. Single. Detail.”  
  
Elyza leaned back and chuckled, running her fingers through her long blonde hair before resting her hands on the back of her neck, elbows outstretched on either side of her head. Kim fetched a cup of coffee and Elyza’s favorite donut – a Boston crème from the display case.  
“Lets just say I’m pretty sure this one is a yoga instructor…and if she’s not…she should be.” Elyza was already sore from last night. Kim giggled and leaned forward onto the counter, propping her chin up on her hands. “Is that all I get? Come on, I want the whole story,” she quipped.  
  
A quiet voice came from the other end of the counter, “’Scuse me, miss? Can I get a refill over here, please?” The man was dressed in painters overalls but judging by his cough and the slight sheen of sweat on him, he should have taken a sick day. _Saved by the bell_ , thought Elyza. As much as she loved Kim, there were still times she would rather just keep some of her…encounters…to herself.  
  
An inherently private person, Elyza had mastered the art of divulging just enough information to make people feel connected to her, but not enough for them to really get to know her. Kim was her closest friend though, something Elyza hadn’t ever really experienced before. Elyza was the definition of a loner; happily spending weeks alone, traveling up and down the West Coast on her Vintage Honda CB750. She had learned the difference between enjoying being alone, and being lonely at a young age. She had never really “needed” anyone in her life, but even Elyza had to admit, it was nice to have to Kim as a friend.

She was grateful that Kim understood her need to escape. She rarely stayed in one place for very long, and while L.A. was her new home for an undetermined amount of time, it wasn’t uncommon for her to disappear for days, sometimes weeks, while she ventured to whatever destination beckoned. Kim stopped being concerned when the girl disappeared awhile ago – she knew that Elyza would always check back in as soon as she returned. It was an unexpected, and frankly, pretty weird friendship for both of them, but while they rarely exchanged verbal sentiments about it, they both were enormously thankful to have each other.

Elyza watched as Kim finished refilling the painter’s cup, and noticed Kim’s glance redirect towards the entrance of the shop. A smile spread across Kim’s face as she waived excitedly at whoever was there. Elyza heard the bell over the door chime, and Kim excitedly hurried out from behind the counter to meet the newest patron. Elyza immediately lost interest and went back to sipping her coffee, she assumed it was Chase, Kim’s “boyfriend”… _if you could even call it that…_ The guy was rude, lazy, and possessive. He cared more about himself than anyone else, and Elyza had spent more nights than she could count consoling Kim over this asshole’s antics. Elyza had to resist the urge to punch the dude in the face every time he came around. _Kim deserves better…I wish I could do something to make her see that._ She felt Kim tug on her jacket sleeve, and swiveled around, mentally preparing herself to fake a smile and play nice with Chase.

Elyza’s jaw dropped immediately.

Imagine those awful, cheesy, rom-com moments where the two people who – predictably – end up together see each other for the first time. Elyza always scoffed at those moments – how fucking ridiculous, right? That doesn’t happen in real life. She pitied the people who constantly sought that kind of love in life. She couldn’t understand the people who constantly pursued a relationship over their own personal growth, the people who made unrealistic promises like “we’ll be together forever.” Elyza had learned early on that people came and went, situations changed, feelings changed, and more importantly, people changed. She had embraced, and accepted that, and became her own biggest supporter. She was happy to be single, and didn’t understand why more people couldn’t be happy alone.

But suddenly, with one look into the most beautiful green eyes she had ever seen, Elyza was one of those naive saps that she had grown to pity.

Elyza was essentially paralyzed, she felt as if every single bodily function failed her at that moment. She sat, just…stupidly staring with her mouth hanging open. She recognized that Kim was speaking – saying something about…biology…and Spanish class, maybe…? But nothing registered. She could only focus on the woman next to Kim… _What the fuck dude…get control of yourself…_ Elyza couldn’t stop staring. The girl was clad in short, jean shorts, which only accentuated already perfect legs. Her loose shirt bunched at the bottom where a flannel was tied around her waist. Those green eyes again, man – deep, clear, complex… _what is even happening right now…_

She had seen more than her fair share of women. Women who were genuinely beautiful…but this one… _she looks like she was put together in a fucking lab…_ Elyza knew she was staring, she couldn’t help it though, a small voice in her head whispered to her to stop, he girl was blushing now, _you’re making her uncomfortable!_ Elyza watched as the girl brushed a strand of brunette hair out of her face, awkwardly shifting her weight from foot to foot and looking back and forth from Kim to Elyza. She mouthed something to Kim, and Elyza somehow snapped out of…whatever the hell this was, in time to catch the end of her sentence “…your friend okay?”

Kim had only ever seen confident, even cocky Elyza…and this new version of her friend took Kim by surprise. She was torn between shock and absolute hilarity. Kim stifled laughter “I think you broke her…” she playfully punched Elyza in the shoulder and gave her a look as if to say “who the fuck are you?! Get your shit together, man!” 

Elyza was the one blushing now. Kim stood on in full shock now – she wished had gotten a video, because this definitely had to be case of the body snatchers…Elyza Lex, blushing?! She had seen Elyza do a lof of things, but blushing? This was a first. Hell must have frozen over.

The blonde extended her hand to the new girl, “Uh, hey…sorry…I’m Elyza… it’s nice to meet you…?” she trailed off waiting for the girl to reintroduce herself since she had obviously lost her shit and ascended into some alternate realm earlier.

The brunette reached out and took Elyza’s hand, and Elyza felt her stomach explode in butterflies.

“I guess you missed it the first three times…” the girl said in jest, “I’m Alicia.”


	2. Chapter 2

  
_“I guess you missed it the first three times…I’m Alicia.” The brunette was definitely joking, but Elyza couldn’t tell if it was the ‘laughing with you, or at you’ kind. She already felt weird for probably making the girl feel uncomfortable. Then on top of that, Elyza was at a complete loss as to why suddenly, she had no idea how to properly interact with a woman. As if she hadn’t had years of practice, successful practice at that…_  
  
_Kim had been just as surprised as Elyza. The difference was that Kim was absolutely relishing the moment. She convinced Alicia to stay for a cup of coffee, even though the brunette had to meet her boyfriend shortly, and had ‘just swung by to say hey.’ Kim strategically placed Alicia next to Elyza, making faces and mouthing, “talk to her!” at Elyza behind Alicia’s back as she headed back behind the counter to grab some coffee for all of them._  
  
_Kim was not candid about the fact that she wanted Elyza to find someone to “settle down with” nor was she candid about her absolutely filthy mind. Elyza was a pretty crass person, but Kim even surprised her sometimes with the shit that came out of her mouth. It made for an interesting situation, to say the least, when Kim found someone she thought Elyza might be even remotely compatible with._  
  
_Elyza tried to think of something to say to Alicia as she waited for Kim to return._  
  
_“So we’ve had some pretty nice weather these last couple weeks…” Elyza trailed off, realizing how lame that was before she even finished. Alicia looked up from her phone with a glance that confirmed Elyza’s thoughts – that was really fucking lame._  
  
_“…Yeah I guess so.” And just like that the brunette’s attention was back on her phone._  
  
_Elyza heard Kim snicker from behind the counter. ‘Honestly what the fuck is wrong with me…’ At least one person found this situation amusing. The next few minutes seemed to stretch for an hour, and Elyza still couldn’t think of anything aside from the weather to talk about._  
  
_Thankfully Kim had finished with the drinks and rejoined the group from across the counter. Alicia had ordered an iced coffee with a bunch of things Elyza had never even heard of in it…no wonder that took so long._  
  
_She never really got on the iced coffee train…frankly; it didn’t really make sense to her. Why have coffee if it’s cold? And has all that extra stuff in it? Elyza took her coffee black, simple, practical. But as the brunette happily sipped on her iced coffee, Elyza thought maybe she’d have to give it a try next time she came in. Kim would tease her relentlessly – but at the rate this situation was going, she was in for a few months of jokes already…_  
  
_“One iced coffee for the lovely Alicia,” Kim beamed as she distributed the drinks “a latte for me, and one coffee, black, for the suave lady killer over here.” Kim had a shit-eating grin on her face. Even Alicia couldn’t help but hold back a chuckle._  
  
_Elyza could feel herself blushing. “God damnit Kim, you’re the worst…” She grumbled and sipped on her coffee._  
  
_Kim smirked mischievously and dove into conversation with Alicia. Elyza still couldn’t think of much to say without making herself sound like an idiot, and she was almost completely sure that Kim was trying to wingman for her. Kim, bless her heart, loved wingman-ing for Elyza and attempted to do so at every available opportunity. Elyza didn’t have the heart to tell Kim she was…less than talented…to put it mildly. There was no need to crush the poor girls spirit, if she really wanted to take a girl home, it usually ended up happening. Except for right now… If Alicia was at all interested in her, she wasn’t making it obvious in any way._  
  
_Elyza checked out of the conversation as it turned towards the two’s recent life events. She leaned sideways against the counter, stretching out to make herself comfortable. She couldn’t stop looking at the brunette, who was facing straight forward, animatedly chatting with Kim across the counter._  
  
_She took the opportunity to study Alicia. To really look, you know? Elyza was an exceptionally observant person – she could read people like a book usually, something she prided herself on – and strongly believed you could learn more about a person by watching them than talking to them. People’s words meant nothing, but actions…actions couldn’t lie._  
  
_She watched the way Alicia tucked her hair behind her ear with the exact same movement every few minutes. How immediately following the hair tuck, the opposite hand reached to briefly check her phone for new notifications. Then a sip of coffee. She watched as Alicia absentmindedly traced her fingers down the side of her plastic cup, chasing the trails of condensation that fell to the counter._  
  
_She spoke quietly, but quickly, and her facial expressions were animated, somehow supplementing her words perfectly. Elyza watched how Alicia’s entire face seemed to brighten when she smiled, but she rarely showed her teeth. It was adorable cause her cheeks puffed up a little bit when she smiled like that. Elyza couldn’t help but smile in response to the brunette’s, and was thankful she had her coffee mug to hide it behind._  
  
_Elyza found herself staring at the girl’s lips, and let her mind wander. She wondered what it would be like to kiss the brunette. She let her eyes wander from Alicia’s lips, up her jawline, to her ear, and down the side of her neck…tracing the path she would follow with her lips if given the chance. She had to physically shake her head to force herself back into reality._  
  
_Alicia stood, as Kim made her way around the counter, presumably to hug her goodbye. The two embraced as Elyza looked on, unsure whether she should hug the girl too after this horribly awkward encounter. Kim settled that debate, as she yanked Elyza from her chair and pushed her towards Alicia. Kim stood behind Elyza, grabbing the blonde’s arms as if to control her like a puppet, and extended Elyza’s arm out for a handshake._  
  
_Kim mocked Elyza’s voice, “sorry I was so awkward, I just couldn’t stop thinking about making out with you!”_  
  
_Elyza nearly choked, and Kim and Alicia simultaneously burst out laughing. Elyza audibly groaned as she buried her face in her hands trying to hide her apparently new habit of blushing. “Ugh, jesus Kim, really? Really?”_  
  
_Kim and Alicia continued to laugh as they made their way towards the exit, as Elyza shoved her hands in her jacket pockets. She scuffed her foot along the floor, suddenly bummed realizing this would probably be the last time she saw the girl._  
  
_Kim held the door open for Alicia before grabbing one more quick hug. Alicia paused briefly before stepping through the door, “it really was nice to meet you,” she called from across the room._  
  
_Elyza couldn’t help herself as a small smile crept across her face, she bowed her head slightly in attempt to hide it. “Yeah, same here.”_  
  
\----  
  
Elyza took one last drag of her cigarette before flicking it away. Sighing, she stepped on the butt, extinguishing the embers on the sidewalk as she reached for her pack to pull out another. It was her worst habit. She knew it was gross, that it was unhealthy, she wasn’t naïve. But it was one of the only vice’s she let herself indulge in these days. She kept an emergency pack on hand. These ones were stale they had sat so long.  _Note to self…pick up another pack on the way home…just in case…_  
  
She didn’t smoke often, but when she did, she had a bad habit of chain smoking. Mainly when she was anxious, or trying to get things off her mind. Smoking was an easy way to do that – focus on the drag in, the burn in your throat, the rhythmic pattern… _drag…drag…tap the ash off…drag…drag…_ it was easy to forget what you were thinking about and just let your mind focus on something simple, something repetitive.  
  
She knew what was bothering her, even if she didn’t want to admit it to herself. It had been three days now. Three. Entire. Days. And she couldn’t stop thinking about that girl, Alicia. It bugged the hell out of her. She wasn’t that person – she wasn’t the kind of girl who spent their days with someone else occupying their mind. She wasn’t the kind of girl who got hung up on someone, even in the slightest. Especially someone she didn’t even know. She traced her fingertip around the end of the filter on her cigarette, scanning the boardwalk lazily.  
  
With her freehand she dug around her bag and grabbed her sketchbook. The Venice boardwalk was one of her favorite places to come to sketch. There were always plenty of subjects around – people, animals, buildings – to get some inspiration from.  
  
Even with everything surrounding her, she couldn’t get the image of the brunette out of her head. She felt her hand start to move as she let her mind wander back to Delux Donuts. Maybe getting this girl onto paper would get her out of her head. She hoped it would, at least.  
  
_I don’t even know the first damn thing about this girl._  
  
Well…she did know two things. First, Alicia’s straight. Not that that ever stopped Elyza… she actually preferred hooking up with straight girls – no commitment, no obligations. Just a hookup and a casual night. She had developed a knack for wooing straight girls after awhile. Call it a gift, or maybe a curse – she hadn’t decided yet.  
  
Second, the one that mattered: Alicia has a boyfriend, and Elyza wasn’t in the business of home wrecking. She had picked up on the boyfriend thing pretty quickly when she had overheard Kim gushing about the stupidly drawn shape on Alicia’s arm. She guessed it was supposed to be a heart…how cheesy…  
  
Elyza looked down at the rough sketch. It didn’t do Alicia justice…something was just slightly off about it. Frustrated, she snapped the book shut.  _You’re not even going to see this girl again just get ahold of yourself ya big fucking idiot._  
  
She stretched her arms out across the back of the bench, occupying the entire space. She lit another cigarette and let it dangle precariously between her fingers as she tilted her head back, closing her eyes. She kept her head tilted back as she brought the cigarette to her lips.  
  
“You know those things will kill you.”  
  
Surprised, she sucked in, taking a bigger drag than she expected, and erupted into a coughing fit. She knew that voice. Her eyes shot open, and she slowly raised her head to see if it had just been her imagination.  
  
There she was standing over Elyza, the sun shining down behind her illuminating her like a fucking angel.  _Honestly how is this even real…’_ Alicia was wearing high waisted shorts – one of Elyza’s weaknesses – and a loose tank top with a light jacket over the top. She looked damn good.  
  
“I – yeah I mean, I don’t – this isn’t – I don’t really actually smoke usually…” Elyza flicked her cigarette away, suddenly feeling guilty about smoking. Alicia gave her a skeptical glance. A few seconds of awkward silence passed.  _‘Just say something, anything!’_ her brain practically screamed at her.  
  
“So what are you doing here?”  _Good job bud, that’s a good start._  
  
“I was supposed to meet Matt,” Elyza groaned internally, Matt, the boyfriend, right “but he didn’t show…” Alicia plopped down next to her on the bench, and Elyza shifted to face her, curling her legs under her and resting her arm along the top of the bench. “And then I decided to walk around a bit, and I noticed you sitting here. So here I am.”  
  
“Oh that…that sucks, I’m really sorry to hear that…” She was surprised when she realized she was genuinely bummed for Alicia – she didn’t even really know her, but she knew that she didn’t want to see the girl upset or hurt.  
  
“Yeah, well, it’s whatever I guess…” Alicia tried to play it off like she wasn't hurt or upset, but her frequent glances at her phone made it obvious she was hoping the boy would contact her.  
  
Elyza awkwardly picked at the bench wood under her hand. She wanted to spend some time with this girl and get to know her. It kept coming back to that one thing in her mind – the fact that she didn’t know anything about this girl, but she couldn’t stop thinking about her. And she hated that. She felt weak, and dumb, and, for one of the first times in her life, vulnerable. At least…she imagined this is how being vulnerable felt.  
  
How could you be this into someone you don’t even know? She had always kind of secretly judged other people who swooned over people they barely knew, she couldn’t understand it. She had never been that person, and she had never had any desire to be that person. She had always been logical, realistic, detached even…especially when it came to feelings. It was what worked for her.  
  
She had always been the kind of person who poured herself entirely into people. But she had also learned early on that if you kept pouring for people who didn’t give a shit about you, you ended up empty. So she was choosy – and why shouldn’t she be? The few people she let into her life, really let in, were the ones who poured back, like Kim. She didn’t have the desire to have meaningless, unfulfilling relationships with other people at this point – she was content on her own, and a romantic relationship was never something she really craved.  
  
But here she was, feeling  _genuinely_ sad that this girl was upset, and wanting to fix it somehow. Wanting to pour a little bit of herself into this girl to make her feel better.  
  
Not to mention that this was her chance. Her chance to actually interact with this girl and see if there really was anything to back up this feeling she was having.  _‘Yeah…a ridiculous feeling…but a feeling…’_  
  
“Well, I mean…” Elyza stretched her arms behind her head, resting her hands on the back of her neck, trying to pick her next words carefully, “if you want some company, I didn’t really have anything planned…or I could give you a ride home if you wanted? Or I mean, I could just let you go back to doing…whatever you were doing?” She cringed internally at herself, she was rambling now.  
  
“I should probably just get home.” The brunette’s attention was on her phone again, and she didn’t look up as she responded; Elyza was thankful for that, because she was sure that Alicia would have seen the look of disappointment wash over her face. “Oh yeah, sure, I get that.” She tried her best to not sound as disappointed and pathetic as she felt.  
  
Alicia stood, but didn’t move beyond that. Elyza looked on curiously, she could tell the other woman was mulling something over in her head. The brunette scrunched her face up a little bit as she was thinking, and Elyza hid a small smile at how cute it was. “Actually, on second thought, I could go for some ice cream.” She was already five steps away before she turned around to look at Elyza, “you comin’ or what?”  
  
Elyza scrambled to gather her belongings, she couldn’t remember the last time she moved that quickly. “Only if it’s N’ice Cream!” She called out as she finished grabbing her things, and jogged to catch up to Alicia.  
  
“Pffft, as if I would choose anywhere else, like some kind of peasant” Alicia said with a chuckle.  
  
The pair fell in side by side, and synchronized their strides. This time it was comfortable silence, although the slightest air of awkwardness still lingered as they walked towards their destination.  
  
It was a beautiful evening, the sun had been out all day, and the surrounding buildings radiated the heat that had been stored in their concrete facades, even as darkness and some clouds began to slowly creep in. There was a slight breeze that kept tousling Alicia’s hair around, and Elyza had the strongest urge to reach up and brush the loose strands out of her face for her.  
  
It was only a minute or two into their walk when Elyza noticed some police lights in the distance, and a large crowd gathering. Most people were hurrying towards the group, eager to see what was causing such a commotion. “I wonder what’s going on over there,” Alicia wondered out loud, she seemed excited - perhaps she was hoping for some sort of street performer, “lets go check it out!” She didn’t give Elyza any time to respond, grabbing her wrist and pulling her along behind her. Elyza’s stomach felt like it just about fell out of her body at the simple touch.  
  
As they got closer to the crowd, Elyza noticed that it wasn't a performance, but some sort of crime scene, maybe. Police had put up barriers to keep bystanders back a considerable distance. The group of people had grown considerably by now, and there was noticeable tension in the air. Alicia snaked through the crowd – oblivious to the sense of uncertainty that hung about – keeping her grasp on Elyza’s wrist as they got closer to the front of the group. Once they reached the barriers, Alicia gasped. Two dead bodies lay in the middle of the boardwalk, a white sheet haphazardly placed over each victim. The police had tried to block the view of the public by parking a fire engine in front of them –  _for the victims’ dignity, or to cover up what happened,_ Elyza wondered - but it did little to obstruct the view.  
  
The crowd continued to grow, people in the back were restless to see what was happening, and bodies pushed into Elyza from behind, forcing her up against Alicia’s back. Elyza extended her arms on either side of Alicia, grasping the barrier to fight the pressure behind her and keep from squishing Alicia into the blockade.  
  
Alicia paid little notice, she had started filming the scene on her phone. Elyza glanced around, and noticed a teenage boy standing close by. He looked shaken, he was pale, sweaty, his eyes glazed over as if he wasn’t processing anything. Elyza reached out with one hand and tapped him on the shoulder, he snapped to attention.  
  
“Did you see what happened here?” No response. “Hey! What happened here?!” She asked again, more forcefully this time.  
  
The boy hesitated, and stumbled over the few coherent words that were tumbling out of his mouth. Obviously something horrible had happened here. He pulled himself together to spit out the details of the event. “That guy…” he gestured towards the direction of the dead bodies, “he just…he jumped her man. He just, I don’t know man, he just came up behind her, he jumped right on her back. He…he fucking bit her, dude. He just chomped right down on the lady’s neck…he…he was trying to eat her…She just…she was screaming, trying to shove him off…” the kid trailed off. Alicia continued to film, as Elyza tried to process the story.  _There’s no way this is real, that can’t be what happened._  
  
“A cop came out of nowhere and shot the guy, he shot him right in the chest. Three shots…” he trailed off again, “it didn’t stop him. It didn’t stop him, dude. He just…kept ripping into this lady’s neck…she wasn’t screaming anymore though…the cop finally shot the guy in the head, right between his eyes…then they were both just laying there.” The kid resumed his blank stare, as if he was reliving the scene all over again.  
  
Elyza continued to attempt to process what she had heard…there had to be a reasonable explanation, a rational explanation for this man’s behavior. It could have been bath salts, right? Or it could have been some new synthetic drug gone bad – there were stories like that all over the news lately. Hell, the kid who told the story could have been fucking high on something.  
  
Elyza turned her attention back to Alicia, who had paid no mind to the conversation, she was still focused on the scene ahead. Elyza looked over Alicia’s shoulder at the girls phone, noticing she had zoomed in on the two bodies. She thought it looked like one of the bodies was moving...but it must have been the wind, right?  
  
Elyza lived the next moment in slow motion. It was as if every sense in her body stood tingling, at attention. She watched as the body on the left slowly sat up. The sheet blew off in the wind, flittering through the air to land softly only yards away. The "dead" woman looked dazed, slow, as if she had no idea where she was. The woman’s neck had been completely torn apart – it looked as if a wild animal had attacked her. There was practically nothing left. Blood had covered the entire front of the woman’s body, and had pooled around her head. The thick substance dripped from her hair.  
  
Someone in the crowd noticed the woman as well, and began shouting for someone to help her. A paramedic rushed to the woman. Something wasn’t right; Elyza had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. All she could do was look on as the scene continued to unfold.  
  
Elyza could tell something was wrong with her by her eyes alone, it was like they were dead - open and looking, but looking through everything. The paramedic reached out a hand to rest on the woman’s arm; he was trying to speak to her, to comfort her. He turned his head for just a second to call to his partner. Suddenly, the woman reached out and grabbed the paramedic, holding his body tightly to her own as her jaw clamped down on his shoulder, ripping into his flesh. His panicked, painful scream pierced through the crowd, gaining the attention of the bystanders.  
  
An audible gasp arose from the crowd, as everyone gathered looked on in utter shock as the woman bit into the flesh of the paramedic. She tore a massive chunk of skin and muscle off, there were strings of fiber and tissue hanging from her mouth. Blood bubbled out from the man's wound, as he continued to cry out in pain.  
  
Within a second, a police officer had drawn her gun and put a bullet in the head of the deranged woman. The crowd had gone completely silent, as if trying to collectively take in the gravity of the situation they had just witnessed. When suddenly, a scream of sheer terror pierced the silence, followed by overlapping screams of “get her off", “it’s another one", and more chillingly, "run."  
  
It was at that moment that chaos erupted around them, the mob began to scatter, screams of terror and confusion blocked out the rest of the noise.  
  
Alicia spun around to meet Elyza’s eyes; a terrified look had washed over Alicia’s face as the woman took in the mayhem encompassing them. Elyza didn’t know what was going on, but she knew they had to be away from this area – immediately. Whatever this was…something was wrong. This was not normal.  
  
She grabbed Alicia’s wrist, just as Alicia had done to her moments ago, and looked into her eyes, “listen, we need to leave, right now. Follow me. Run, quickly. Do not stop, and do not look back. Do not let go of my hand. If we somehow get separated, go to the bench you found me at. Do you understand?” Alicia only nodded, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Elyza wasted no time, and immediately began shoving through the crowd, clearing a path for the pair.  
  
In the chaos, a man’s elbow swung around and caught Elyza in the face. She was stunned for a second, tears flowing from her eyes reactively. She felt blood running down her upper lip and sniffed, smelling iron.  _Fucking hell._ She watched as a young man, maybe 20 something tripped over his own feet – she heard the sickening crunch of his bones as people trampled over him in their haste to escape whatever it was that was happening behind them. She briefly checked to see if Alicia had seen - and was thankful to see she hadn't. Elyza knew they couldn’t stop, and she continued barreling through the crowd, her grip on Alicia’s wrist was like steel, and she heard a whisper in the back of her head,  _be careful, and don’t hurt her._  
  
The whole ordeal lasted only minutes, but it felt like an eternity. They had reached the edge of the crowd. Finally free from the mass, they ran as fast as they could now. Elyza instinctually guided Alicia towards where her bike was parked. Her body was reacting on it’s own now, which she was thankful for, because a million thoughts were flooding Elyza’s mind at once.  
  
What was happening? Is this an isolated incident? Is it a drug overdose gone wrong? Does this have something to do with that new virus that’s been all over the news? She had a gut feeling that something sinister, something larger was going on. But right now, the one thought at the forefront of her mind was:  _find a way to get Alicia home, unharmed._  
  
They ran for almost a mile, adrenaline kicking into overdrive, before reaching Elyza’s motorcycle. They both seemed to realize how taxing that mile sprint was, and took a second to gain their composure as their adrenaline wore down. “Lyza, your nose…” Alicia approached her with a worried look. Even in the stressful moment, it didn’t escape Elyza how easily her nickname slipped out of Alicia’s lips.  
  
She had honestly forgotten about her nose. She reached up, feeling some fresh blood mixing with dried blood. She winced at her own touch, surprised by how tender her nose was. She didn’t think it was broken, but it would be sore for a few days. She rummaged through her bag for a water bottle to rinse off the blood – no need to be running around with blood on her face, especially in this situation.  
  
She found a bottle and poured some water into her hand, rubbing it on her face to get the blood off. The look on Alicia’s face made Elyza pause, “what…did I make it worse?”  
  
“You kinda just rubbed it all over your face now…” Elyza grabbed her bike’s mirror, adjusting it to see her face. She was literally covered in watered down blood now.  _Great._  
  
Alicia approached her, “here…let me…tilt your head down, to the side, yeah like that…” Alicia poured small amounts of water over Elyza’s face, washing the blood off for her. Elyza was surprised by how gentle Alicia’s touch was, and more surprised she was willing to wipe her hands all over Elyza’s bloody face. She didn’t question it though, relishing the chance to be close to the brunette even if it was under strange circumstances.  
  
“Tilt your head forward now…and pinch the bridge of your nose.” Elyza did as she was commanded. Alicia used the remaining water to rinse Elyza's blood from her hands, and the blonde noticed how badly Alicia's hands were shaking.  
  
The atmosphere was much calmer here. People were laughing, joggers ran by, couples held hands as they walked towards the beach with blankets, mothers pushed strollers with their children nestled inside. Elyza wondered if the terrifying experience they just saw was a figment of the imagination.  
  
She was trying to brainstorm a plan. She knew she needed to get Alicia home, now. She was worried about Kim. Worried about if this was going on elsewhere in the city. _What if the highways are closed?_ It might have been calm for the moment, but Elyza refused to be lulled into a potentially false sense of security. She was definitely one to be more safe than sorry in extreme situations – something years of riding a motorcycle, hiking, and camping had taught her. “Alicia, come on, get on, I’m taking you home,” she pleaded, as she dug through one of her the saddlebags to retrieve an extra helmet for her passenger.  
  
She tossed it to Alicia, and mounted her bike, waiting for the other woman to join her, but the brunette hesitated. Elyza was unsure if it was because of her confusion about the events they just witnessed, or if it was because of her apprehension about the motorcycle.  
  
Elyza sighed, and swung her leg back over the bike. In three quick strides she was in front of Alicia. Placing her hand reassuringly on Alicia’s shoulder, she spoke softly, “Alicia, listen to me. Please let me take you home – we don’t know what’s going on, but it's not safe to be here any longer. Please get on the bike so I can take you home?” It was posed as a question, but even Elyza could sense a tone of urgency in her voice that made the statement lean more towards a demand.  
  
Alicia gave a curt nod, and Elyza let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I promise I’ll be extra careful, okay?” Elyza couldn’t tell if that reassured Alicia, as the girl had slipped the full-faced helmet over her head already.  
  
Elyza mounted and righted the bike, remaining standing so the brunette could take her place on the small back seat. With Alicia settled, she slowly rolled the bike away from the curb. She hadn’t even started the motorcycle yet, and Alicia had a death grip around her waist. Any other time, she would have chuckled and made a snide joke at that, but right now, Elyza couldn’t shake the feeling that something was horribly, horribly wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who has commented and left kudos. I am honestly floored at the positive reactions I've had on this. Thank you all so much for your support, it's greatly appreciated. 
> 
> This chapter turned out to be way longer than I originally anticipated, and is largely flashback based - I wanted to take the time to establish Elyza's background a bit. Hope everyone enjoys.

_“Okay kiddo, do you remember how to do a bowline?”_   
  
_Elyza nodded enthusiastically, the tip of her tongue poking out from her lips in concentration as she went to work on the knot her father had showed her just the other day._   
  
_Her tiny hands worked deftly, purposefully, as she breathed out the mantra her father taught her to accompany the knot. “Tiny circle…the rabbit comes out of the hole…goes around the tree…goes back into it’s hole…and then…” her fingers tugged at the nylon rope, as the knot slid into place, holding firmly._   
_  
_

_Elyza beamed up at her father, a towering, bulking man, who suddenly looked childlike as his excitement spread across his face._

  
_“Dad! Dad I did it!” Elyza bounced back and forth from foot to foot, her own excitement manifesting physically. A flash of pride flickered across Jakes’ eyes, his chest swelling with the emotion. He reached down and tousled Elyza’s short hair and happily congratulated her, “That’s great Lyza!”_   
  
_He knew she would need more practice to build the muscle memory required to tie the knot without thought, as a second nature. That was a necessary and vital skill when your life depended on it._   
  
_“Think you can do it a few more times? I can teach you another one once you can do this one with your eyes closed!” His words were encouraging, but laced with the hint of a playful challenge that he knew Elyza wouldn’t back down from._   
  
_Elyza’s eyes widened, how could anyone tie a knot with their eyes closed?! But she quickly resolved to complete the task, as Jake knew she would, giving a determined nod before immediately closing her eyes and attempting the knot again. Her fingers fumbled blindly, and the loops she had made in the rope fell apart upon her final tug. She huffed, annoyed, as Jake looked on in amusement, effortlessly working on more challenging knots of his own, looking forward to the day he would be able to teach those ones to Elyza as well._   
  
_He let his mind wander as he thought of all the knowledge he could pass on to his daughter. Of all the places he could show her. Of all the activities they could participate in together._   
  
_“Dad! Dad look!” Elyza’s squeaky voice jolted Jake from his thoughts. He looked over to Elyza, who proudly thrust the rope out in front of her, snapped her eyes shut, and proceeded to tie a bowline perfectly. Elyza’s smile spread across her face, showing off her missing teeth, and Jake boomed with laughter, feeling flush with pride all over again._   
  
_He scooped the tiny blonde in his arms, tousling her hair before lovingly kissing her head. “I’m so proud of you, kid.”_

* * *

_Elyza had taken after Jake in so many ways – looks, mannerisms, likes and dislikes. Family friends often joked that Elyza was a younger female reincarnation of Jake. But her love for the outdoors was one of the most striking similarities between the two. During her summer breaks, Elyza would spend the entire day outside, from dawn till dusk, returning home only grudgingly; with a thick layer of earth on her bare feet, and callouses on her small hands._   
  
_Her mother, Abby, would scold her for coming home so dirty and grimy, for the rips and tears her clothing endured from snagged branches or scuffed gravel, for the cuts and bruises that “tarnished her beauty” received in scuffles with the neighborhood boys – fights that she usually won, mind you._   
  
_Eventually her mother got sick of having to scrub her skin raw every single night until she was finally clean, and refused to allow Elyza into the house until she hosed herself off outside first. Jake’s forceful laugh nearly tipped him over in his chair when he heard Abby announce that, and Elyza erupted into a fit of giggles at the sight, her father’s laughter contagious. Abby just huffed, and stormed out of the room._   
  
_Jake scooped Elyza off the ground, a small cloud of dirt and dust wafting off the child and carried her outside to the back deck to hose her off, both of them still giggling as Jake sprayed Elyza down with the hose out back._   
  
_Jake was wrapping Elyza in a towel when he had the idea. “Hey Kiddo, what do you say we go camping”_   
  
_Elyza’s eyes widened in excitement. “Like tonight?!” Jake had bought her a small tent that had basically become a permanent fixture in the backyard. The kid probably spent more nights in that damned tent than she did in her own bedroom._   
  
_Jake laughed, “Sure we can camp outside tonight. But I meant real camping, like a big trip. Somewhere cool. Think you’d like that?”_   
  
_Elyza stroked her chin, as if she was deep in thought. Jake struggled to keep his composure – his daughter definitely got her humor from him – and Elyza shot him a glance. Obviously this was a very serious matter of consideration for the nine year old._   
  
_Elyza narrowed her eyes, “Only if it’s somewhere cool…”_   
  
_Jake laughed, “I’ll pick somewhere cool, promise.”_   
  
_Elyza suddenly thrust her hand out, narrowing her eyes even further, “Shake on it”_   
  
_Jake laughed, before clasping Elyza’s hand._   
  
_Jake booked a flight that was set to leave just two days later. Their destination: Sequoia National Park. Elyza had nearly cried when she found out they were actually going. “Well you don’t shake on something if you don’t mean it, kiddo!” Jake had told her. He packed her bag the minute she found out, and spent the next couple days practically vibrating with excitement._   
  
_It was contagious, and Jake could barely maintain his elation. He had been there many times, but seeing the park through the eyes of his daughter would be an entirely new experience – one that he felt lucky and honored to be able to experience. Plus, this was a perfect opportunity to show Elyza some more hands on survival and wilderness preparation skills._   
  
_On the day of their departure, Jake had made them a huge breakfast – pancakes, toast, hash browns, eggs, bacon, and fruit. They scarfed down their food so quickly, someone would have thought they hadn’t eaten for days. They cleaned haphazardly, their excitement taking over and beckoning for them to get to the airport as soon as possible._   
  
_Jake could tell Elyza was nervous, it was her first time flying, but he knew she would never admit it. The kid’s eyes nearly got as big as saucers as she boarded the plane – she hid the emotion quickly. Elyza’s feet didn’t reach the floor of the plane, but her nervousness and excitement pulsated through her body, causing her feet swinging rhythmically as she awaited takeoff._   
_She was strong-willed, stubborn, able to tackle her own problems, just like him, and a small smirk crept across his face._   
  
_“Alright kiddo, quiz time!” He wanted to calm her, keep her occupied. He made thinking of a question into a production – stroking his thick, sandy blonde beard, as if in deep thought. Elyza giggled, but waited patiently, expectantly._   
  
_“How do you tell what direction you’re headed if you don’t have a compass?”_   
  
_Elyza rolled her eyes dramatically, “that’s an easy one, Dad! Just look at where the sun is!”_   
  
_Jake smiled. “Good job kiddo, but what if it’s nighttime?”_   
  
_“Well just look for the constellations then, silly.” Elyza answered, her tone suggesting it was an obvious answer, and Jake couldn’t contain a smile. He continued with a few more questions, surprised at how well Elyza had retained the basic survival skills he had taught her. He was excited to see if she would be able to apply any of it during their trip this week._   
  
_They didn’t know it yet, but it would be the start of a tradition that would become the highlight of the year for both of them: their annual weeklong camping trip._

* * *

_“You must be pretty bored,” Jake drawled, shooting an amused look towards Elyza, “that’s the fourth time you’ve come and gone from back porch now…well,_ hobbled  _is a more accurate term I guess.”_   
  
_Elyza huffed, flopping down onto the couch and wincing in pain immediately. “I’m going nuts, all cooped up inside, Dad.” She sighed, tossing her crutches to the side, and shifting around in an attempt to find a comfortable position, which, was not easy these days. She sported a neon green cast on her leg, a matching cast on her forearm, and a sling to round out the ensemble. The broken wrist she could have lived with, but the fractured leg and the shattered collarbone were miserable._   
  
_She had a pretty awesome new scar where they had to reconstruct her collarbone though. And you could see the metal rod they stuck in there._   
  
_Elyza huffed again, sinking into the couch and snatching the remote off the table. If she was going to be stuck inside she might as well find something decently entertaining to watch. She wasn’t paying attention though. She was mentally replaying the jump on her dirt bike that landed her in the hospital, as she had done for the millionth time now – wondering what she had miscalculated. Not like it mattered now, she couldn’t go back in time and change her speed, the angle, her body positioning, or the way her body had crashed into the ground with a sickening crunch. She was lucky – she knew kids who had ended up in much worse condition from shit like this._   
  
She couldn’t even remember the entire incident. One second she was in the air, the next she was on the ground, and a white-hot flash of pain seared through her left side. The bike lay next to her, still running. She knew immediately her collarbone was broken – that was a pain you couldn’t misdiagnose. She sighed, attempting to steady her mind, and her body, and tried to stand. Bracing herself with her hands, she pushed off the ground feeling a jab of pain shoot through her wrist. She managed to get to her feet though, but crumbled, whimpering in pain with the attempt. That’s how she realized her lower leg was broken. The fall sent a fresh wave of pain up her leg and radiated throughout her collarbone, causing her to vomit.   
  
She wiped the bile from her mouth with the back of her hand, and sighed shakily, trying to steady her mind, and her body. She couldn’t walk. She didn’t have her phone with her. And she was at least a few miles into the woods behind her house. She had no choice but to get back on her bike.   
  
Elyza sucked a breath in, holding it as she prepared herself for what was going to happen next. She glanced around, searching…and found a thicker stick on the ground. “Okay…here we go…” the blonde placed the stick between her teeth – she needed something to bite down on.   
  
She didn’t remember the ride home, but she imagined it was slow, and clumsy. She remembered the moment she caught sight of her house from the path, and the way Jake had sprinted to her when he realized something was wrong. She remembered her mother screaming at her about stupid she was and how much money the trip to the emergency room was going to cost. It was the first time she had ever seen Jake yell at Abby.   
  
She remembered Jake picking her up, cradling her body as he ran to his truck. He placed her in the bed, laying a blanket over her, before speeding off so fast that the tires kicked up the rocks in the driveway. They hit a pothole that jolted Elyza’s body so badly she finally passed out from the pain.   
  
The next thing she knew, she was in the hospital. Casts and all. With her dad by her bedside.   
  
_She didn’t realize she drifted off to sleep on the couch until her father was gently shaking her awake._   
  
_“Kiddo, hey, c’mere, I got something to show you.” Elyza rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and stretched as best she could – that damn broken collarbone._   
  
_Elyza pushed herself off the couch awkwardly, gathered her crutches, and followed slowly behind Jake. He paused near the garage door, as if he wanted to say something, a hint of mischief in his eyes. He chose to remain quiet, opting instead to let whatever was in the garage speak for itself._   
  
_He opened the door, and ushered Elyza through ahead of him “Go on, go check it out,” he urged._   
  
_Elyza stepped down into the room and flicked the light. Next to her fathers motorcycle, was the most decrepit vintage motorcycle she had ever laid eyes on. It was some ugly brown-ish red color, with spots of rust dotting the gas tank and fenders. But the chrome looked good. It was a Honda, so the engine was probably mostly alright. She wondered if even started, and why Jake bought this piece of shit._   
  
_”What is this, for spare parts or something?” she wondered out loud, yawning as she tried to shake her sleepiness off, “Or are you gonna try to fix this up to sell?”_   
  
_Jake laughed, and reached over to tousle her hair gently, “Nope._ You’re _going to fix it up, for yourself.”_   
  
_Elyza’s eyes widened, and she sucked in a deep breath, her body suddenly alert. “Are you serious?! This is for me?!” She hugged Jake so hard she hurt herself. This was just what she needed – something to keep her occupied while she was out of commission. She realized that Jake knew that, somehow._   
  
_His laughter echoed throughout the garage, “Sure is! You’ve got three years before you can ride it though,” he paused, running his fingers through his beard before adding, “well, legally at least.”_   
  
_Elyza beamed at her father, and then at the bike. She started thinking of all the things she could do to it, all the ways she could make it hers. She limped over to_ her _motorcycle, and ran her fingers across the torn leather seat._   
  
_Jake spoke from across the room, “Of course, I’ll help ya with whatever parts and work she needs. But I reckon you’ll be able to handle most of it on your own.” His voice was reassuring, sending a wave of confidence through the blonde._   
  
_All the possibilities and potential for this bike continued to flash through her mind, and she felt her heart race. It would be work done by_ her _hands, too. Suddenly, the bike didn’t look so ugly, it looked like something she could make into whatever she wanted it to be. She looked towards her father, suddenly overwhelmed with her appreciation for him, for how well he knew her, for everything he did for her. “Thanks, Dad.”_

* * *

_Jake spent the better half of his life in the Navy. He enlisted the moment he graduated high school, his diploma and cap and gown sat tucked into the saddle bags on his old Harley as he shook hands with the recruiter. He was well equipped for military service, disciplined, confident, a natural born leader. He had been a standout as a captain on his high school football team, and was known as a reliable laborer for any local farmer that needed an extra hand that day. And much like Elyza, Jake spent most of his child hood outdoors, exploring every inch of land he could find in the Georgia countryside._   
  
_He had found a home in the military, quickly gaining the notice of his superiors, and soaring through the ranks to become a commissioned officer. He eventually landed in the Combat Search and Rescue squadron, and spent the rest of his military career there, learning basic and wilderness survival skills. He retired and became an active member of an elite Wilderness Search and Rescue squad primarily tasked with rescues throughout the entire Appalachian Trail region. It was a job that Jake loved and took great pride in, but a job took him away from his family often and unexpectedly, nonetheless._   
  
_Elyza dreaded the calls that came, summoning her father away for days, weeks, sometimes months on end. Not because she was worried about him – she was confident in his ability to care for himself, he had taught her everything he knew, after all. She dreaded the calls that took him away because she dreaded being left alone with her mother._   
  
_Abby had been a lively, beautiful woman in her youth. Jake and her were high school sweethearts, sickly and sweetly in love. That’s all she ever heard from family friends, and it had been evident still even when Elyza was young. Elyza used to gag over their displays of affection when she was younger, but now she missed it._   
  
_Elyza spent countless years watching her parents fall out of love. Watched as her mother became addicted to the pain medication her doctor had prescribed after a back surgery gone wrong. Watched as her mother succumbed to her addiction, unwilling to fight, unwilling to even attempt. Watched as her mother’s once lively and boisterous personality shrunk and shriveled to dust. Watched, as her mother continued to choose drugs over her family. Watched, as Abby steadily became someone unrecognizable to her family._   
  
_Elyza had always thought of her mother as a strong woman, strong for fighting through the pain she felt everyday from whatever unknown ailment plagued her. The doctors couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong, test after test came back negative – but they had no problem continuing to provide Abby with a potent cocktail of medications. They had no problem fueling Abby’s drug addiction._   
  
_She had always thought of her mother as strong. But there is a point, in every child’s life, when they suddenly begin to see their parents as a person rather than their parent – a real person, who is flawed, no longer all knowing, no longer the perfect being you held on a pedestal. That moment came the day Elyza witnessed Abby have a full blown emotional breakdown over the pharmacy running out of her prescription. Her mother had sobbed, screamed, shrieked like a small child who didn’t get their way. She had called the pharmacist names, jabbed a boney finger into his chest, as Elyza looked on in horror and embarrassment._   
  
_Suddenly, in that moment, Elyza no longer saw her mother as strong, but as selfish and weak, a child who Elyza was forced to take care of now. And Elyza began to resent her mother. Began to resent how she was forced to be an adult, while her mother got to behave selfishly and irresponsibly._   
  
_She could see the way Abby’s behavior chipped away the pieces of Jake as well, and that fueled Elyza’s resentment. Jake was a good man, and he loved Abby. He had always done nothing but his best to care for his wife: had accompanied her to doctors visits, learned to cook – poorly, helped clean, helped perform the tasks Abby couldn’t, or wouldn’t, do without complaint. He no longer had free time, he no longer was an autonomous person – he was Abby’s personal attendant. Yet Abby was ungrateful, blind, either willingly or unwillingly to the efforts Jake continued to put forth. She put no effort forth to stay current with Jake’s life, or Elyza’s life – she didn’t ask about their days, didn’t attempt to spend time with them. She made no effort to support them, to love them. She only cared about herself, and her high._   
  
_Elyza was somewhat thankful for her mother’s behavior though. It only forced her and her father to bond more. It had become exhausting to interact with the woman long ago, and their conversations almost always turned to arguments, and Elyza was somehow always made into the bad guy. She had no desire to be apart of it._   
  
_So she reveled when Jake was home, cherishing the time they had to interact._ _The pair retreated to the outdoors as often as possible – because it was one of their first true loves, and because it was an escape from Abby. The duo shared an unspoken language almost – both fans of silence and observation – and often knew when the other had reached a point of exhaustion with the woman. It was a much-needed support system._   
  
_Not to mention, Jake was, in the truest sense of the word, Elyza’s best friend. She genuinely enjoyed spending time with him. He the only person who really_ knew _He knew her hopes, her dreams, fears, and goals. He knew when she needed support, when she needed space, when she was hurting, or when she needed reassurance. And he knew the exact ways to provide those for her. He called Elyza out on her bullshit, challenged her in healthy ways, and constantly pushed her to be better at everything in her life. He was the perfect balance of dreamer to Elyza’s realist, and challenged her to grow and learn, to expand her views, to look at the world in new ways._   
  
_He made her a better person, and he was the best father and friend Elyza could have ever hoped for._

* * *

_Elyza had been sitting on the back porch, the summer heat and stickiness still lingering long after the sun had set. The backyard was filled with fireflies, her favorite. She was sipping some moonshine that she had snuck from Jake’s stash when she noticed the blue and red emergency lights flickering through the back windows. She turned to figure out what the hell was going on, and saw the lights were coming from the driveway._   
  
_Immediately, her body knew what was going on before her brain had time to process._   
  
_She felt the air sucked from her lungs in one quick, sharp wheeze. Her entire body suddenly felt like it was covered in lead – she felt like she was sinking, melting into the floor. Her limbs weighed a thousand pounds each. It felt like she had been kicked in the stomach, each breath felt like it wasn’t enough, she couldn’t get enough air._   
  
_She was somehow moving, moving towards the door, with slow, shaky steps. Her hand was on the doorknob as she caught a glance of the vehicles in the driveway. A police car accompanied a vehicle adorned with the SAR logo and emergency markings. Her knees buckled. Her head was swimming, and she could feel her heartbeat throughout her entire body, she could hear the blood rushing in her head. Pulsing._   
  
_She remained rooted to the spot, unable to move, as she heard the doorbell ring. Followed by her mother’s screeching voice, beckoning for Elyza to answer the door. The doorbell sounded again. Everything sounded like she was hearing it from underwater._   
  
_And then she was moving on autopilot once again. Through the back door, through the kitchen, through the living room, until she was in front of the front door. It was open, with just the screen door separating the threshold of the home. Donovan stood in front of her, silent, eyes cast downwards, hat removed and hanging limply in his hands. A police officer stood slightly behind him, stiffly, awkwardly. Donovan watched her as she approached, stopping just inside the screen door._   
  
_Elyza heard her voice come out of her before she even realized she was speaking. “How did it happen?” Her voice was thick, heavy. It felt foreign, like it didn’t belong to her._   
  
_Donovan was fighting back tears, Elyza could tell, and she had to look away. He was Jake’s best friend. She had known him all her life, he was like an uncle to her. He had spent countless hours in the Lex house, just as Elyza had enjoyed countless hours at his house, they were family. If he broke down, she would break too._   
  
_“Donovan, I need to know.” Her voice seemed hollow, empty. She needed to know or she would never be able to be okay with it. She knew he knew that._   
  
_Donovan took a deep, shaky breath, “He was repelling out of the ‘copter. A hiker fell off a cliff on the AT, he was stuck on an outcrop of the rock. Jake volunteered to get him…it was routine, we’ve done it – he’s done it a hundred times before,” Donovan’s voice was cracking, and Elyza was staring through him, finger nails picking at her father’s flask she was still holding. “A gust of wind came out of nowhere…it blew the ‘copter right into the cliff…” He hesitated, shifting awkwardly on his feet, raising tear filled eyes to meet Elyza’s, “it was quick…it was quick, Lyz, he didn’t suffer at all.” His words were barely a whisper. His arms were wrapped around his torso, like he was trying to comfort himself._   
  
_Elyza nodded slowly, her body screaming in protest at every movement she made. Everything inside her begged her to just lie down, to stop moving, and stop thinking, to stop existing. She wanted to curl up on the floor right there. To collapse into a puddle._   
  
_Her mother’s voice pierced through the silence, Elyza would have jumped if her body were functioning normally. The sound made something inside her snap._ I can’t stay here. I can’t stay here. I can’t stay here.  _She thought of Abby, the woman who was no longer her mother, upstairs. Thought of how she would be trapped here, trapped into tending to Abby for the rest of her life. Thought of how Abby would continue to limit her growth, how Abby would hold her back from everything good in the world. Thought of how selfish Abby had been. Thought of how this woman was no longer her mother, but a stranger sharing her home. Thought of how she couldn’t do it without Jake. Thought of how she had no reason to stay without her father._ I can’t stay here.   
  
_And she was moving, on autopilot again, away from the door, away from Donovan, away from the news she had just received. She was in her room her now, her father’s old Navy Pack stuffed full on her bed already, waiting for something that would never happen again, now. Jake was supposed to be home tomorrow, early, for Elyza’s sixteenth birthday. They were going on their annual camping trip. She had already packed. She was going to make breakfast for them._   
  
_Her eyes burned at the sight, at the thought of what should have been, and tears welled in her eyes, but refused to spill. She wasn’t thinking now, instinct took over as she donned her favorite leather jacket. She then felt the weight of the pack settle onto her back. Elyza found herself moving across the hallway, to her parents’ room._   
  
_She needed something of Jake’s to take with her. She needed a part of him. And she needed his protection still. She went to the closet, pulled the shoebox from the top shelf, and retrieved Jake’s Sig Sauer and holster. He had been issued the gun in the Navy, and had kept it polished, cleaned, and in impeccable condition. He taught her how to shoot with it. She removed the magazine, and pulled the slide back, checking the chamber to see if the gun was loaded. Jake had taught her that. How to handle a gun safely, responsibly. Her hands shook as she thought about her father and their adventures together. She hastily shoved it into its holster, and then into her loaded pack._   
  
_Next, she made her way to Jake’s bedside table. She knew he kept an envelope in there with extra cash. She didn’t bother counting it, opting instead to shove the entire envelope into her jacket pocket. She turned to exit the room, when her eye caught sight of something, stopping her dead in her tracks. Elyza picked up the framed picture that sat on Jake’s bedside table, running her fingers gingerly over the glass._   
  
_Jake stood proud and tall, absolutely beaming. His blue eyes were bright, pure, and deep, like the sky after a thunderstorm. His beard was patchy and scruffy – he had just started growing it out – and his sandy blonde hair was shaggy and long, almost reaching the top of his eyes. Elyza was seated atop his shoulders, her hands folded neatly atop his head, her own chin resting on them. Her smile was so large that it forced her eyes shut. She was missing her two front teeth. Jakes left arm was reached up, settled on top of her head – he had just finished tousling her hair like he always did. His other arm was slung around Abby – the old Abby, back when she was a wife and mother. She had a hand on Jake’s chest, looking up at him and their daughter with admiration and love._   
  
_Elyza’s heart ached, her stomach clenched at the sight, wishing she could somehow relive that moment. Go back in time, to have one more minute with her father. She felt a tear cascading down her cheek, and she hastily wiped it away, digging into her eyes with knuckles to wipe away whatever tears threatened to spill yet. She removed the photo from the frame, and delicately placed it in her inside breast pocket._   
  
_She backed out of the room, moving quickly now._ I can’t stay here.   
  
_She could hear her mother talking to Donovan downstairs now, she was so high she didn’t understand what was happening. Donovan was getting frustrated, angry that the woman Jake had cared for so strongly wasn’t even aware of what was happening. And he let out a frustrated sob that echoed throughout the house. The sound crashed over Elyza like a wave, threatening to provoke her own emotions. She felt surrounded, enclosed, and itched with the desire to be away from this place._ I can’t stay here.   
  
_She crept down the stairs, avoiding the creaky spot on the third step from the bottom. Elyza peaked around the corner, her mother was standing in the doorway, eyes wide as saucers, clinging to Donovan – it was clear she understood what was happening now. The sight made her stomach churn, and she resisted the urge to run over to her mother and shake her, to tell her she had no right to be upset after everything she had put Jake through. Elyza’s fingers trembled, the nervous energy creeping up her arms, and shooting throughout her entire body. She let out a breath in an attempt to calm herself, and quickly made her way across the house to the garage._ I can’t stay here.   
  
_Her bike was sitting next to her fathers, where it always sat. They were going to ride them down to the Everglades for their trip tomorrow. Elyza had spent the day changing the oil, replacing the air filters, greasing the bearings – making sure everything was in prime condition for their journey. She circled her father’s bike, tracing her fingers lightly along the handlebars. She thought back to all the times he had taken her for road trips on the bike, and felt bile rise in her throat, her chest burned as if her lungs were on fire. She choked back a sob._   
  
_She thought of how free she felt when she would ride with him on the back of this bike. How free he had made her feel. How he wanted her to live life to the fullest. How he would have wanted her to leave now too – how he wouldn’t have wanted her to be trapped into taking care of Abby for the rest of her life._ I can’t stay here.   
  
_She took the protective covering off her bike. Jake would make fun of her for it. “What do ya need that thing for when you keep her inside, huh?” he would say._   
  
_Tomorrow was going to be Elyza’s first legal ride, the first time they were going to ride together on their own separate bikes. On_ her _The bike Jake got her…and the bike she had made her own. It was beautiful now. She had replaced the chrome exhaust fixtures with matte black ones. The gas tank and fenders were sandblasted down to the original factory metal finish. The extended leather seat was a beautiful light tan – like coffee after you add the creamer – that complimented the sanded metal and matte black accents perfectly._   
  
_Tears threatened to spill once more as Elyza remembered how proud Jake had looked the day she had finished it up, how he tousled her hair like he had done since she was a kid, and how he let her have a beer with him in celebration._ I can’t stay here.   
  
_Elyza sighed steadying herself once more. Taking in the sight of her father’s bike one last time. She mounted her bike, and walked it out of the garage. She started the engine, and heard the muffled sounds of Donovan and her mother calling to her. She shifted into to gear, and took off._   
  
_She didn’t look back._   
  
_She had no idea where she was going. But she couldn’t stay here._

* * *

Elyza’s stomach churned nervously, a sick, heavy feeling making a home in deep in her body. The events that had just occurred on the boardwalk flashed rapidly through her brain, as if they were being projected in front of her. She struggled to pay attention to the road ahead of her as she zipped through traffic, with Alicia settled in behind her.   
  
The brunette hadn’t said a word beyond hastily spitting out her address since they had taken off on her motorcycle. Nor had she loosened her ironclad grip around Elyza’s waist.   
  
Elyza forgot to mention that she had invested in a Bluetooth intercom system for her helmets – Alicia probably had no idea she could even effectively communicate with her right now. Even if the other girl was aware they could talk, Elyza was unsure if she’d have anything to say, maybe she was trying process things too. After all, it wasn’t every day that a real life horror scene played out right in front of your eyes.   
  
Elyza’s thoughts shifted back to the situation at hand, but she couldn’t concentrate on a single thought long enough to make sense of anything. She had seen some fucked up shit, but nothing like this before, and she had so many questions that needed answers. Was it safe to stay in the city? Was this isolated? If it was – is it under control? If it wasn’t – well…what if it wasn’t… The thought made her sick to her stomach, and Elyza sighed, trying to settle her thoughts. Trying to think rationally. There had to be a reasonable explanation for this.   
  
_This would be on the news if it was widespread, hell, it would be on the news even if it wasn’t,_ she found herself thinking. She toggled a switch on her handlebars and static-y voices erupted inside her helmet. She hadn’t thought to warn Alicia, and the brunette cursed in surprise, her body jumped at the sudden shock.   
  
“Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Elyza’s voice cracked through the intercom system over the radio, “I just figured that there would be something on the news if this was something to be worried about.” Her voice was thick with tension and concern, and she surprised herself by how worried she sounded.   
  
Alicia didn’t verbally respond, but Elyza felt her passenger’s helmet knock gently into the back of hers as Alicia nodded her head. Broadcast voices resonated through their helmets as Elyza toggled through all the available stations. Commercials for used cars, traffic updates, and weather reports flicked by endlessly, and she was getting frustrated. Until finally, a static-y voice came up, the words breaking with the poor reception ” _reports of – boardwa – attack…”_ There it was.   
  
Elyza immediately pulled the Honda off the road – she needed to devote her full attention to this right now. She fiddled with tuning the radio, hoping for a better signal, as a woman’s clear voice broke through the static.   
  
“ _This is Jeanette Wilson with KTLA, reporting live from the Santa Monica Boardwalk where we have received word of a vicious attack that has resulted in two deaths, and the serious injuries of a paramedic. Officials have secured the scene and are thoroughly investigating the incident. While no official comment has been made, we have been told by sources close to the situation that the incident is connected to a new strain of synthetic marijuana that causes vivid hallucinations, and incites violent, erratic behavior. We are urging the public to stay calm at this time, and to avoid synthetic marijuana, and other illegal drugs, as there is a possibility that other street drugs may have been contaminated as well. Live from Santa Monica, Jeanette Wilson, KTLA.”_   
  
Elyza turned the radio off, bracing her hands on her hips. A wave of relief should have washed over her, but she couldn’t shake the sickening feeling that had rooted within her body, making a home in her bones. Maybe she was just overreacting; she had been feeling pretty anxious lately. She hadn’t been able to escape to the open road or to the woods for a few weeks now, and being stuck in the city for too long always took a toll on her.   
  
Alicia’s voice came through the intercom, “That’s crazy, I can’t believe someone did that because they were high.” Elyza couldn’t tell if Alicia just hadn’t been nearly as concerned about what they had witnessed at the boardwalk, or if Alicia was completely reassured by the explanation they just heard on the news. Either way – it seemed like Alicia was entirely unfazed. “Hey does this thing have an aux cord?”   
  
Elyza sighed, forcing herself to accept that she was just being overly cautious, as was her nature. She flipped opened a small compartment on the box she had installed on her handlebars, pulling out a short auxiliary cord.   
  
“Yeah but you have to keep your phone up here, think you can manage that?” she teased.   
  
She hadn’t spent much time with the brunette, but she could have been blind and still noticed how attached to her phone Alicia was. Alicia thrust the object forward into Elyza’s lap, “Its not like Matt’s answering anyways.” Alicia’s voice was a mixture of hurt and anger, and Elyza’s chest clenched slightly in anger, the reaction surprising her. She felt badly that Alicia was so upset about Matt blowing her off, and Elyza kinda wanted to punch him in the stomach for doing that to her.   
  
“Alright well let’s get you home, yeah?” A pop song came over the intercom system and Elyza groaned, adding “Quickly.”   
  
“I’ll have you know I have impeccable taste in music, thank you.” Alicia joked, her grip squeezing almost uncomfortably around Elyza again as the blonde navigated the bike back towards the road.   
  
Elyza snorted a little bit as she laughed, “Pfft, whatever you say, princess.”   
  
She couldn’t help but laugh even harder when she felt Alicia playfully punch her in the side.

* * *

The sun had set completely, and Elyza ached to be able to see the stars. She needed something to calm her sense of unrest that was still bubbling under her surface. The normal light pollution from the city usually outshone the stars, but tonight there was a full moon to take center stage in the night sky.   
  
They had been navigating through a residential area for a few blocks now. Alicia’s voice came over the intercom as the blonde slowed at a stop sign, “It’s the next block, right up there on the right.” Elyza thought she sensed a hint of hesitation on the other woman’s lips, but she mentally scolded herself – she didn’t want to read too much into any of Alicia’s actions.   
  
Elyza shifted into gear and began to roll away from the stop sign when Alicia spoke urgently, “Wait, Elyza stop.”   
  
Elyza braked, hard. Suddenly panicked all over again, “Are you okay, what’s wrong?”   
  
“I just…” Alicia trailed off, like she was trying to find the right words, “I don’t really want to go home right now. You know? I just… I don’t know…I don’t want to be here.” Her words were heavy, strained. Elyza could tell she was searching for an explanation, for a solid reason as to why she didn’t want to be with her family right now.   
  
Elyza sighed in relief. “I get it. You don’t have to explain, it’s okay.” Her voice was reassuring, understanding. And she felt Alicia’s chest fall with a sigh, seemingly relieved that she didn’t have to divulge more information. Elyza wasn’t sure what to do now though, did the brunette want her to take her to a friend’s house? …To another family members house? …Or, somewhere else? Elyza stayed quiet, waiting for Alicia to direct her to a new location. But nothing came, except for the calming hum of the engine.   
  
It suddenly dawned on Elyza that Alicia meant she wanted  _Elyza_ to take her  _anywhere_ . Alicia spoke as the thought passed through Elyza’s mind, confirming Elyza’s realization, “So are you going to take me somewhere or what?” Her voice was amused, sassy almost.   
  
Embarrassment crept throughout Elyza, and was thankful that her helmet hid her face because she was absolutely positive it was bright red. With any other girl, in any other situation she would have caught on to the meaning. More so, she would have had a smooth response, would have already sprung into action. She groaned internally,  _back at it again with the charm, champ._   
  
At the same time though, she was excited,  _happy_ . Her body buzzed with the feeling, a warm rush starting from her toes and fingertips, slowly flooding her body. She had been hoping to spend time with Alicia, to get to know the girl. This was the perfect opportunity. Hopefully she could keep her cool and not be a complete bumbling jackass though…   
  
A smirk spread across Elyza’s face, she felt a sudden rush of confidence as she realized she knew exactly where she wanted to take Alicia. “I know just the spot,” she paused before adding, with a chuckle, “but I get to pick the music this time.”   
  
  
It had been nearly a forty-five minute drive through winding mountain roads. Elyza had been craving an escape to nature, and she seized the opportunity to do just that with Alicia’s request to take her anywhere. She needed to shake the anxiety that had crept into every inch of her body, and she knew that the outdoors would soothe her nerves from the shit show she saw today. Even the drive alone had calmed her considerably, but the feeling that something was wrong remained, although diminished to only a dull sensation now.   
  
Elyza’s ass was starting to get sore from sitting on the bike for so long, and after the crazy day they had, she was craving a cigarette again. She was itching to be to their destination. She imagined Alicia’s ass was sore too – Elyza’s bike wasn’t a cruiser, and while she had opted for a double seat, it sure as hell wasn’t comfortable riding bitch for more than just a quick trip. She was thankful that they’d be there shortly.   
  
She was getting nervous now, though. Every mile closer made Elyza’s mind race faster, her heart beat harder. But it was the good kind of nervous this time. The butterflies in your stomach, sweaty palms, stuttery words kind of nervous. She simultaneously wanted to throw up at the feeling and was grossed out that she felt that way – who the hell was she, anyways.   
  
Yet still, a part of her was excited. Elyza had spent almost half the day with Alicia, but under less than ideal circumstances. She still didn’t know the first thing about the girl – sure she had picked up on some superficial things, but Elyza ached to discover Alicia’s personality; her hopes and dreams, her opinions, her desires and goals. The sudden realization that she would be more than content to sit for hours upon hours and listen, eagerly, to whatever the brunette had to say washed over Elyza and she suddenly felt very vulnerable, uncomfortable even.   
  
Elyza rounded a corner and saw the small clearing she was looking for.   
“We’re here.” She felt Alicia stir, probably curious as to where the hell they were. She pulled off the road, parking the bike on the small gravel shoulder, shielded from view of the main road, and waited for Alicia to dismount first.   
  
The pair took a moment to stretch their stiff legs. Elyza dug through her saddle bag and pulled out a flashlight and a tightly rolled blanket. She caught sight of the Sig Sauer she carried with her when she rode – just in case – and her breath caught in her throat, her chest tightening painfully. She let her fingers brush over the cold metal, feeling a shiver run up her arm. Her dad would have loved this spot.   
  
Elyza tore herself away the thought, distracting herself by putting a quick, loose braid into her hair. She rummaged for a minute more and found her favorite snapback.   
  
“So, I’m gonna need you to tell me now if you brought me to the middle of the woods to kill me.” Elyza was jolted back to the moment. Alicia’s voice was deadly serious, but as Elyza glanced up, the brunette’s façade crumbled into a playful demeanor.   
  
Elyza chuckled as she finished gathered her items and secured the saddle bag. She headed towards the edge of the clearing, “Oh dang, you caught me,” she deadpanned, ”now if you’d be so kind as to follow me to the ideal murder location, please.” Elyza put on her best British accent, and bowed her head, motioning towards the tree line as if she were a butler guiding a guest around a home.   
  
“What service.” Alicia drawled, a small laugh escaped her lips as she shook her head and made her way towards Elyza.   
  
Flicking on the flashlight, Elyza lead Alicia into the thick covering of trees, “Watch your step, it’s a little rough,” she warned before expertly maneuvering through the dense trees. Alicia was stumbling along noisily behind her, tripping here and there, and Elyza couldn’t help but be amused at the other woman struggling along.   
  
After only a few moments of hiking, the trees thinned out again, and another clearing was visible. Elyza was more than a few steps ahead of Alicia by this point, but the moon had been bright enough to illuminate the terrain in this spot. Elyza might have had sped up a little bit intentionally…she was hoping to get a front row seat to Alicia’s reaction. She took a moment to spread the blanket out, and turned to face the woods as she heard Alicia cursing and trudging towards the edge of the clearing.   
  
The brunette was slightly out of breath, and slightly disheveled as she stumbled into the open area. “Alright, listen, you are never allowed – “ Alicia’s voice stuck in her throat, and her jaw dropped as she got the first glance of sprawling view in front of her.   
  
The entirety of Los Angeles stretched below them, and on a clear night like this the view went on for miles, expanding until the curvature of the earth blocked the rest of their view. The city lights twinkled brilliantly. Cars zipped across the freeways, street lights lit the passages that cut through the sprawling buildings - showing off a perfect grid of intersections and roadways, skyscrapers were lit with only the lone office lights of employees working on deadlines.   
  
But the moon…the moon stole the show. It looked as if you could brush the surface with your fingertips if you just reached your hand out towards it…   
  
Alicia was rooted to the spot, mouth still agape.   
  
Elyza’s stomach fluttered, and she felt a smile creeping across her face. Her entire body tingled. Her smile was steadily growing, and a warmth was rushing through her body as she watched the brunette’s eyes dart back and forth, trying to take in the expanse in front of her. Even in the darkness, Alicia’s eyes were bright, her normally green eyes seemed a pale, yet beautiful and piercing shade of grey. The moonlight highlighted Alicia’s strong and striking jawline, and Elyza’s knees went week just from that feature alone. There was a small twig stuck in Alicia’s hair from her trek through the trees, and Elyza thought it was the most adorable thing ever.   
  
Her entire body was flushed, and she felt like there was a small current of electricity lingering just under her skin. Elyza couldn’t get over how attractive Alicia was, she couldn’t tear her eyes off the girl even with the breathtaking view behind her.   
  
“Holy shit…it’s beautiful… Alicia breathed out.   
  
_You are._ The thought was so sudden in Elyza’s head that she was afraid she said it out loud. She mentally scolded herself.  _First off, what the fuck is wrong with you. Second off, don’t fucking do that._ She didn’t want to put Alicia in an awkward or uncomfortable position – that wasn’t fair to her, especially when Elyza knew she was straight, and when she was essentially stuck in the middle of nowhere with Elyza.   
  
Plus, after years of practice, Elyza had strict rules when it came to flirting with straight girls; the most important one? Let them come to you.   
  
She cleared her throat, as if trying to choke down the words she had been thinking, and beamed at Alicia, “Yeah it’s one of my favorite places.” Elyza shot a smile towards Alicia, and moved to settle into a comfortable position on the blanket. Elyza watched as Alicia pulled her phone out, and crept slowly closer to the edge of the drop off.   
  
“Whatcha doin, champ?” Elyza called out.   
  
“Instagram. Duh.” Alicia responded, as if it should have been obvious, and Elyza chuckled.   
  
The brunette took a few pictures, trying to get the perfect one, as Elyza took in the view, and the girl in front of her.   
  
“Ugh, damnit! It died…” Alicia half groaned, half wined, “At least I got one good one.” She huffed as she joined Elyza, planting herself next to the blonde, eyes still trained on the view in front of them.   
After a moment, Alicia glanced at Elyza, cocking an eyebrow, “I bet you bring all the girls up here, don’t you? Is this like, your go-to make out spot or something?” Her tone was more so curious than critical.   
  
Elyza couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “What makes you think I have a go-to spot?”   
  
Alicia didn’t need to verbally respond, the sassy, accusatory look on her face spoke volumes, and Elyza couldn’t hide the guilty smile that betrayed her. She  _did_ have a go-to spot, but it wasn’t here. “Actually,” she paused, wondering if she should reveal this information… ”I’ve never brought anyone else up here.”   
  
Elyza thought about that fact the entire ride up here, and she still couldn’t tell you why this spot was the first place that popped into her head to take Alicia. It was  _her_ Elyza’s place to disappear to when she only needed a brief escape from a long day. She would be genuinely surprised if anyone else even knew it existed.   
  
Alicia scoffed, “I don’t believe that for a second.”   
  
Elyza’s eyebrow jumped up, challenging the brunette, “Welp, you can believe whatever you’d like. But I’m not lying to you,” The blonde laid back on the blanket propping herself up on her elbows, “plus I don’t need a view like this to woo anyone, when I have  _all this_ ,” Elyza gestured over her entire body, and wiggled her eyebrows at Alicia, her normal playful cockiness shining through for a moment.   
  
Alicia snorted, shaking her head, “Oh Jesus…” Elyza only replied with an innocent, shit eating grin and they both burst into laughter.   
  
The two settled into a comfortable silence, and while Elyza was surprised at the immediate comfort, she appreciated it immensely. These days it was rare to find someone who didn’t need to fill every silent moment with mindless chatter, it drove Elyza insane – no one ever just shut up and really  _listened_ One of the most valuable lessons she had learned in life was the difference between listening with the intent to respond versus listening with the intent to understand. People who listened with the intent to understand knew how to just shut the fuck up and genuinely hear someone.   
  
It bothered her that conversations always seemed to be about responding, always about eliminating the quiet to avoid awkwardness. But silence didn’t always have to be awkward, it could be comforting, understanding. And the silence right now was just that – comfortable, enjoyable, soothing. The only sounds were natural: crickets chirping, the leaves rustling in the light breeze, and cars in the distance.   
  
Elyza stole a glance at the woman next to her, noticing the goose bumps that sprung up and adorned the other girl’s arms. Without any thought, she shrugged her jacket off and gently thrust it towards Alicia.   
  
The brunette took the opportunity to tease Elyza more, “Oh, what, is this one of your signature moves?”   
  
Elyza secretly liked this sassy side of Alicia, appreciating the banter. Still though, she raised both eyebrows at Alicia, suddenly  _very_ curious as to just how much Alicia and Kim had talked about her, and what  _exactly_ Kim said. She made a mental note to bring it up to Kim later.   
  
She dropped the jacket next to Alicia, and resumed her propped position on the blanket. “It doesn’t have gay cooties, I promise,” she joked.   
  
Alicia rolled her eyes, giving in to the gesture as a shiver ran through her body. She slipped the jacket on, and immediately burrowed into its warmth. Elyza hid her smile behind her hand – Alicia looked damn good in her jacket, and Elyza had to force her mind to not wander to other clothing items of hers she’d like to see the brunette in.   
  
Elyza shifted onto her side to face Alicia fully, propping all her weight on one arm, resting her chin on her hand. She couldn’t wait to talk to Kim, this was going to bug the shit out of her, and she needed answers now.   
“So…I’m gonna assume that Kim told you some stuff about me.” It wasn’t a question, but her tone made it clear she was expecting the brunette to elaborate. Elyza was almost nervous to hear the response. Kim meant well, especially when it came to Elyza’s ‘love life’, but good lord the girl had no filter or sense of personal boundaries. It drove Elyza nuts sometimes.   
  
“She may or may not have implied that you’re a huge player.” Alicia didn’t miss a beat before adding, “Which is surprising, ‘cause like, no offense or anything, but you seem kinda awkward.”   
  
Elyza cringed at the term. “I hate that word, ya know.” She traced her fingers over the braid in her hair, sighing.   
  
“What, awkward?” That drew a laugh from both of them. Elyza could tell Alicia was testing her boundaries – seeing where the lines were drawn in relation to what could be joked about, and what couldn’t.   
  
Elyza grimaced as she responded, “Player, you little shit. I don’t  _play_ anyone. I hook up with girls when I want to – but I don’t lead anyone on or make it out to be more than what it is. Ever.” She stared straight ahead at the view in front of them, but could feel Alicia’s eyes on her.   
  
She hated that Kim thought of her that way, as someone who was so careless with other people’s feelings. As much as Elyza had opened up and shared with Kim, and as close as they were, Kim just still didn’t completely grasp some things about Elyza.   
  
Elyza shook off her discomfort, eager to talk about something else. Feigning insult, she pouted at Alicia, “But, awkward, really? Damn, I thought I was hiding it so well.”   
  
“Ooh, sorry to burst your bubble…” Alicia teased. Elyza continued to pout before they erupted into laughter.   
  
As the laughter subsided, Elyza noticed Alicia’s demeanor change. Her brows furrowed together, her hands fidgety. Elyza spoke, gently urging the brunette, “Go ahead and ask whatever you wanna ask.” Alicia met Elyza’s glance, and nodded.   
  
Her tone was cautious, and she diverted her eyes from Elyza when she spoke. “So Kim said you kinda just…up and left wherever you were from before,” she paused, her voice growing softer before adding, “she said you left because your dad died.”   
  
Elyza sucked a breath in, feeling her chest constrict. Her body felt heavy, as if a weight settled onto her. No matter how many years had passed, every mention of the topic seemed to bring the emotions of the day she heard about her father’s death to the surface, crashing over her like waves. They always threatened to consume whatever other shred of emotion that managed to survive within her.   
  
She usually didn’t talk about her past, or Jake, with anyone – let alone someone she had just met, yet she felt the words trying to escape from her mouth, she felt like she wanted to share her past with Alicia. She licked her lips and swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. “Yeah,” she managed to murmur.   
  
Alicia was quiet for a long time, and Elyza thought she might not respond. Until finally, Alicia’s voice was a whisper, “My dad died too,” she raised her fist towards Elyza, sadly adding, “dead dad club, yeah?”   
  
Elyza let out a shaky breath that bordered on the edge of a laugh, before lifting her own fist to lightly bump Alicia’s extended hand. Her voice seemed small, “Yeah, dead dad club.”   
  
It was a horrible joke, but somehow, the notion of it all seemed to comfort Elyza. It was all too easy to get consumed by your own feelings, to forget that other people might have shared similar experiences. It was almost reassuring to know someone else could relate, in even small ways, to how she felt. At the same time though, Elyza’s chest and throat burned as she realized that Alicia shared in the same kind of pain as her. It was a weight that you carried for the rest of your life, a weight that never seemed to settle even after you felt like you finally became accustomed to it. She didn’t wish that feeling on anyone.   
  
“Hey, we should make shirts or patches, or something.” Elyza added lightly, pushing herself up into a sitting position and pulling her knees to her chest. As if trying to comfort herself from the emotions surging through her.   
  
A hint of a smile tugged at Alicia’s lips, and she nodded in approval. She was quiet for a moment, until finally sighing, “It’s nice to have someone who gets it.”   
  
Elyza didn’t speak, the look of reassurance she gave Alicia was enough to convey her mutual understanding. The two returned their glances to the sprawling view in front of them, appreciating the beauty the world somehow still managed to provide after taking so much away from them.   
  
Alicia suddenly clapped her hands, rubbing them together quickly. “Alright, how about a less depressing topic!” She hummed gently as she thought, and Elyza was thankful for the change in topic, Alicia continued, “Hmm, tell me about the rest of your family.”   
  
Elyza exhaled a sharp breath through her nose, “Yeah that’s – that’s not any less depressing then the last one. Try again, champ.”   
  
Alicia’s eyebrows jumped up at that, “Oh I bet I could give you a run for your money.”   
  
“Oh?” Elyza asked.   
  
Alicia shrugged, “Druggie brother.” Her voice was unemotional, matter of fact.   
  
“Druggie mom.” Elyza countered casually, as if they were trying to one-up each other’s craziest drunk night out stories rather than their dysfunctional families.   
  
Alicia looked surprised, “Oh yup, okay, you might have me there.”   
  
“Well check us out, we’re regular soul mates.” Elyza joked, elbowing Alicia in the side gently. The brunette cocked her head at the blonde.   
  
“I didn’t peg you as the soul mate type.” Alicia responded, half stating, half questioning.   
  
Elyza laughed, “Why, cause I’m such a  _player_ ?”   
  
Alicia rolled her eyes, and looked at Elyza with an expression that urged further explanation.   
  
The blonde picked at her cuticle, it was her nervous tick. She suddenly noticed how fidgety she was around the other woman. Why the hell couldn’t she get her shit controlled around Alicia.   
  
“I don’t believe in that ‘find someone who completes you’ crap.” She paused, searching for the right words. “I think there are people out there that you meet for a reason, people who are supposed to make you better somehow. But I don’t know if people are ever meant to be completely permanent in your life…” Elyza trailed off, brows furrowed. She didn’t know how to explain what she was thinking, hopefully Alicia got the jist of it.   
  
“Wow, what a romantic.” Alicia joked, a skeptical look was plastered on her face.   
  
Elyza snorted, “I’m a realist.” She shrugged as she flashed a smile at the brunette.   
  
Elyza noticed that Alicia had been tracing the sharpie drawing that still lingered on her arm – wondering, for a split second, if Alicia wished Matt were here in her place.   
  
“You care about him a lot, don’t you?” Elyza voice was gentle. She didn’t want to pry. And to be entirely honest, she didn’t really want to know about Matt. But she wanted to  _know_ Alicia, and this was part of her, too, regardless of whatever Elyza thought or wanted.   
  
“Yeah…” Alicia’s voice was confident, but soft, barely a whisper. “I’m going to Berkley though. And he’s…he’s not.” She paused, brows furrowing, ”I think he’s upset about it. I think that might be why he bailed tonight.” The brunette pulled Elyza’s jacket more snugly around her, seeking some sort of comfort in the object.   
  
Elyza was genuinely surprised at the storm of emotions that suddenly assaulted her. She was angry that Matt ditched Alicia. Protective, already, of Alicia’s feelings and wellbeing. Envious of Matt. And overall, confused as to why she was feeling all of this. This was far from normal, Kim had even taken to calling her ‘Elyza the emotionless’ sometimes. Elyza wished that could be true right now…she wasn’t exactly sure how to sort through all of the turmoil in her head. And she didn’t like feeling like this about someone, at all. She felt like she had no right to feel these things, she had just met Alicia. She felt weak.   
  
She shook off her discontent. “I’m sorry, that’s gotta be really rough.” Long distance relationships were not something Elyza had any interest or desire to pursue. She had a great respect for people who managed to pull them off, but she knew herself, and they were not something for her. Her heart sunk as she realized that maybe Matt felt the same way.   
  
“He said he’d visit. And I know he will. But I’m worried it’ll be…different.” The concern in Alicia’s voice made Elyza’s chest tighten a little bit, and she wanted to reach out and touch the other girl, comfort her somehow. Alicia shook her head as she continued, “I feel like I have to choose between myself, my goals… and him…”   
  
Elyza raised an eyebrow, gently replying “And you feel bad choosing yourself?”   
  
Alicia groaned dramatically, and ran her fingers through her hair. She was obviously frustrated, probably a little overwhelmed. “It’s stupid, I know.   
  
Elyza shook her head, “It’s not stupid.” She consoled. Continuing, Elyza spoke cautiously, not wanting to overstep any boundaries, “You know, at the end of the day, you’ve only got yourself to rely on.” She thought of how Matt had ditched Alicia at the beach today, but didn’t want to directly allude to that. Hell, for all she knew, there could have been a million legitimate reasons why Matt didn’t show tonight. But more importantly, it wasn’t her place. “You’ve gotta do what’s best for you, you’ve gotta stay on your own path. If someone’s path leads away from yours, or if yours leads away from theirs, it’s only because it’s what’s best for that person – and that there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just life. You never know when your paths might cross again. Or what new paths you might find. That’s what’s life is all about, you know?” She shot a consoling glance towards Alicia, hoping that she could somehow soothe the brunette’s apprehensions.   
  
Alicia stared straight ahead for a long moment in silence, but Elyza noticed the tension visibly release from the brunette’s shoulders.   
  
If she had comforted Alicia in any way, the brunette didn’t verbally acknowledge it. “I guess you really are a realist, huh?” A small laugh escaped Alicia’s lips.   
  
“Guess so.” Elyza said with a smile, before laying back to prop herself up on her elbows once more. “You’ll be okay, you know, everything will work itself out how it’s supposed to.” Elyza added softly. Alicia just nodded in acceptance.   
  
The brunette suddenly looked at Elyza, face scrunched in thought, “Wait…have you ever been in love?” She paused for a moment, donning a lighthearted smile, and Elyza prepared herself for whatever sassy comment was coming next, “Or are you really the ice queen that Kim says you are?”   
  
Elyza grumbled, mentally damning Kim once more. She fiddled with adjusting her snapback as she searched for the right answer. “I don’t know if I have been, honestly.” She sighed, running her hands down her face, noticing Alicia’s surprised look. Elyza shrugged, continuing, “ I mean I’ve had points where I thought I was, but then someone else would come along and it would turn into one of those ‘oh no,  _this_ is what love really is,’ kinda things, you know?”   
  
“Mhmm.” Alicia hummed in response.   
  
Elyza didn’t know why she felt the need to elaborate, but words continued to spill out of her mouth, “I mean yeah, I don’t like  _serious_ dating. But that doesn’t mean I’m an asshole, or treat girls like shit. I just don’t buy into the whole absurd ‘find someone to be with forever when you’re 20’ spiel.” She shrugged again, “I just have a lot of stuff I want to do and see and I don’t need or want to feel like I have to choose someone over me.”   
  
She made sure to say the last sentence softly, not wanting to make Alicia feel worse about her situation with Matt. She glanced at the other girl to see if she was upset, and to her relief, Alicia was nodding.   
  
“It’s a shitty feeling” the brunette replied. “I kinda wish I was more like that sometimes.”   
  
“Maybe you will be someday. I wasn’t always like this.” Elyza replied, giving Alicia a reassuring look.   
  
The two remained quiet for a moment before Alicia broke the silence once again. “Sooo…Kim said she’s never seen you freak out over a girl like you did when you met me.” Elyza choked on her own spit, and Alicia flashed her a smug grin.   
  
Elyza’s face flushed a bright red, and she felt the heat moving through her whole body, her embarrassment encompassing her completely. She buried her hands in her face and groaned loudly. Alicia’s laugh caused Elyza to blush even harder, and she lay back onto the blanket, defeated, and pulled her snapback forward to lie over her face.   
Her voice was muffled under her hat, “Oh my god…I’m going to fucking kill her.” Alicia was struggling to control her laughter, and Elyza let out a long, dramatic sigh.   
  
Elyza took a deep breath, trying to gain her composure. Usually she’d be on top of this – have a witty remark to come back with. She tried to summon up some of her usual confidence. Peaking out from under her hat, she countered, “Why do you care so much, huh?”   
  
Alicia scoffed, but had a shit-eating grin on her face. “I don’t. I’m just wondering if you’re this awkward all the time, or if it’s just me that get’s the pleasure.”   
  
Elyza rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hold back a smile. “You’re an ass.”   
  
Another moment of silence settled in, and Elyza was once again surprised at how comforting the brunette’s presence was. It was curious feeling, the immediate comfort – that was something she always had to work up to with another person. But with Alicia, it was as if she was spending time with someone she had a deep connection with from long ago. Maybe it was the similarities in their families, or the ease of the playful banter, but it seemed as if they had never missed a beat, and were long time friends simply…catching up again. The feeling was enough to almost completely shut out the lingering feeling of dread that had made a home in Elyza.   



	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! So first off, sorry I am horrible and took forever to update this. My usually really uneventful life suddenly got very busy, and unfortunately this got put on the back burner. With that said, I tried to make this chapter a little bit longer to compensate. Things are definitely still in the slow-burn stage, but everything will begin to speed up with the coming events, so stick with me here. Thank you guys for your patience and continued support!

Elyza had never been one to outwardly express her anger. Instead, it manifested in more of a ‘calm before the storm’ manner; the lightening buzzing throughout her veins, thunder rumbling through her muscles. You couldn’t see it immediately, but you could feel it radiating throughout her body; it was as if she was waiting for the perfect moment to unleash hell on the world around her. The calm was almost eerie, instilling that ‘ _oh fuck_ , this is going to be bad’ feeling in anyone in her path.  
  
And a storm was definitely raging inside her today, and it was threatening to finally be unleashed.  
  
Elyza pushed through the doorway to Delux Donuts, and stopped dead in her tracks as she spotted Kim behind the counter. Kim’s back was to her, the black haired girl was busy wrapping silverware and talking to Sharon, one of the older waitresses. Elyza must have underestimated the intensity radiating off her, because as soon as Sharon caught sight of her, the woman’s eyes widened as big as saucers. Sharon downcast her eyes towards the silverware as she cleared her throat, and nodded towards Elyza’s direction – indicating for Kim to look as well.  
  
Kim turned slowly, as if she was afraid to see what was behind her. Kim’s face mirrored the shocked look Sharon sported a moment ago, but the younger girls face immediately fell, a concerned look growing in its place now. “Elyza? What’s wrong?”  
  
The blonde took a deep breath as she ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to calm herself slightly before striding purposefully to the counter, bracing her hands on the counter as she leaned over towards Kim. Elyza kept her voice low and calm, “You told Alicia my _dad died,_ ” The only outward indicator that would have displayed her anger was the death grip she had on the counter. Elyza was gripping it so hard she thought it might crumble to dust in her hands. She whispered the next sentence, “You told her a bunch of shit, actually." Her voice cracked as those words left her mouth, her emotions getting the better of her.  
  
She wasn’t even sure _what_ emotion she was feeling…anger? Betrayal? Disappointment? All of the above? Regardless, whatever this feeling was, it had crashed down on her hard, and suddenly. Elyza had been surprised initially, and slightly annoyed when Alicia mentioned Kim had shared such intimate details about her life, but she hadn’t let herself dwell on it…at first. As the night went on, she felt more and more unsettled by it, and come morning, Elyza was full on _pissed_ about it.  
  
She was trying to contain the emotions that surged within her. She was trying to be rational and tell herself that Kim didn’t mean anything malicious about it. But Elyza was so fucking irritated by the entire situation.  
  
Elyza didn’t turn to other people for anything – period. Letting Kim in was admittedly one of the best things she could have done for herself, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a struggle. Elyza had to fight herself, fight the very being of her nature, every step of the way to force herself to open up to the other girl. But she had finally done it. She had finally gotten to a point where she was comfortable sharing intimate parts of herself with Kim.  
  
She told Kim things she held sacred, things she had never shared with anyone else, things she had barely let herself mull over. How could Kim _possibly_ think it was okay to just go and tell someone else those things? Kim knew her better than anyone alive, how could she think sharing that information with someone else was okay? It felt like a slap in the face after all of the work and progress Elyza had put into this friendship. It felt like Kim didn’t give a damn about how hard Elyza had worked to open up to her, about how much that meant to her.  
  
A mixture of emotions seemed to flicker across Kim’s face – shock again, confusion, remorse…and then, excitement? Her eyebrow shot up, “How did you know that? Did you hang out with Alicia?”  
  
Elyza huffed and threw her arms up in exasperation, her anger sparking briefly at that, thunder sounding for the first time, “ _That_ is the first thing you say?” It came out louder than Elyza had intended, and she noticed the rest of the restaurant had screeched to a halt – all eyes were on her.  
  
Kim visibly recoiled, and Elyza realized this was the first time that Kim was on the receiving end of Elyza’s anger. The realization chipped away at Elyza’s anger, allowing a fleeting moment of guilt to creep in before her anger flooded back in.  
  
Kim recovered from her moment of shock and quickly scurried around the counter. She grabbed Elyza by the arm and took off, practically dragging the blonde behind her. Kim led them through the kitchen, as the two surprised cooks looked on, and out to the back alleyway.  
  
As the pair stumbled into the alleyway, Elyza jerked her arm from Kim’s grasp, and smoothed down her jacket as she crossed to the other side of the alley. She didn’t want to be close to the other girl right now. Her emotional disconnect was manifesting as a physical one, and Elyza found she couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact with Kim either.  
  
Sighing, she leaned against the side of the building, crossed her arms over her chest, and scuffed her foot along the ground, waiting for an explanation, an apology, for _anything_. She felt Kim’s eyes burning into her, and she glanced up briefly to meet Kim’s gaze, but the other woman averted her eyes and fiddled with her ring. Continually removing and replacing it on her finger, flipping it between her fingers for a couple seconds between each replacement – _Kim’s nervous tick,_ Elyza thought.  
  
Kim’s grandmother had given the ring to her before she died, and it had been passed down for ages before her. Kim always turned to the familiar object to calm her. She always talked about how her ring helped her ‘channel some sort of energy.’ The girl wasn’t religious in the slightest, but she sure as hell was as spiritual as they come. Tarot cards, horoscopes and astrology, soul mates and ‘energy’, those little crystal things that ‘heal you’ somehow…all of that shit that Elyza didn’t believe in the slightest, happened to be Kim’s forte.  
  
A trickle of guilt crept in once again upon seeing Kim’s nervous fidgeting. Eliza let a steady breath out through her nose, attempting to dissipate some of the angry energy twitching through her muscles. _My lungs are going to hate me…_ Reaching into a jacket pocket, she pulled out her pack of menthols, popping one cigarette up and using her lips to pull it the rest of the way out as she dug for her lighter with her other hand. She lit her cigarette, and began to pocket her pack – but she hesitated, and then extended the pack to Kim. She knew Kim smoked when she was overwhelmed, and she wanted Kim to know she didn’t _completely_ hate her.  
  
Kim sighed in relief, her whole body seemingly collapsing as she claimed a cigarette, obviously thankful for the gesture and the unspoken meaning accompanying it. But Kim’s relief lasted only momentarily, as Elyza backed away from her quickly, resuming her position against the wall before tossing her lighter to Kim from a distance.  
  
Elyza watched as Kim lit her cigarette, and tossed the zippo back to her. She was contemplating what to say, she needed to understand this. Her voice surprised her, vocalizing before her thoughts had settled. “Kim. What the _fuck_ , man?” Her voice was at least somewhat gentle, but still stern enough to make Kim wince, and more importantly, to let Kim know she wanted a fucking explanation.  
  
“Please don’t hate me…” Kim’s voice was quiet, and Elyza saw that her eyes were welling with tears as her friend finally met her eyes. And there was the guilt again.  
  
Elyza hated this. She hated this entire situation. She hated that they even had to have this conversation. But more so, she hated that she was making Kim cry – well, almost cry. She let out a short breath, making sure to at least attempt to keep her voice softer, “Kim, I don’t hate you. I could never hate you.” Elyza paused, flicking the ash of her cigarette to the pavement. “I just hate this situation.”  
  
Kim nodded swiftly, but didn’t answer. A moment passed before Elyza took a deep breath, preparing herself, and then spoke up again. “Kim, I just don’t get why you did that. You know how long it took me to talk about that shit with you. How long it took me to open up to you. I just don’t get why you would tell someone all that stuff.” She seemed to deflate as the words left her mouth, each syllable carrying her anger away. But the hole left in their absence filled with disappointment, with betrayal, and with a nagging feeling that Elyza should have just never opened up to Kim in the first place. And that was the worst part about this entire situation.  
  
The weight of these new feelings bogged down on her, and Elyza pushed off the wall she was leaning against, and made her way to the stack of milk crates. She sat, resting her elbows on her knees and burying her face in her hands.  
  
This might not have been a big deal to other people, but it was to her. And it was the exact reason she kept to herself. What was the point of letting people in when all it could possibly cause is pain? Let someone in, and they disappear. Let someone in, and they disappoint you. It was so much easier to just keep your shit to yourself.  
  
Elyza mumbled through her hands. “I feel like I can’t trust you now, and that really fucking sucks.”  
  
Elyza felt Kim approach and take a seat next to her on another stack of crates. Kim hesitated before sitting – and Elyza knew the girl was testing if Elyza would accept her being so close right now. Elyza didn’t shy away Kim sat, surprising the both of them. She just glanced sideways at her best friend, who stared down at the ground.  
  
Kim’s voice was barely a whisper, “I know. I’m sorry. I knew you’d be really upset about this.” She took a deep breath before continuing, her voice more confident now. “I just…I don’t know, Lyza…I’ve been getting to know Alicia more and…my god she reminds me of you so much in some ways… And then, she mentioned her dad and I just blurted out that your dad died, too. And then the rest of it…I don’t know, I just word vomited it all.” Kim was still looking at the ground, like she was afraid to look up to see Elyza’s reaction.  
  
Elyza focused on her cigarette, _drag…drag…tap the ash off…drag…drag._ She wasn’t really sure what to say, anyways.  
  
Kim was still fidgeting with her ring; she cleared her throat awkwardly before continuing. “Lyza…I know you’re going to hate this…but…I’d like to think – no, I _know_ that I know you better than anyone.” Kim looked Elyza in the eyes as she said that, and held eye contact as she continued. “And I _know_ that telling Alicia will end up being a good thing. Even if you don’t believe it right now. I just have a good feeling about all of this.”  
  
Elyza rolled her eyes; _here we go with that spiritual bullshit again._ “Kim, how the hell can you possibly know that?”  
  
“I just do.” Kim was adamant. “Just trust me.”  
  
Elyza’s eyebrows jumped up at that as she scoffed. _Trust_. She bit her tongue and held in the snide remark that threatened to slip out, though. It didn’t go unnoticed by Kim, however, who snapped back, suddenly angry. “Look I’m sorry Elyza. I truly am. But what the fuck is the worst that’s going to happen, huh?”  
  
Elyza’s head shot up, surprised at Kim’s complete shift in demeanor. Kim stood suddenly, and paced back and forth in front of Elyza as she continued, wildly gesturing with her hands as she spoke. “You’re so fucking angry about this – and yes, I get it, okay? I get that I betrayed you, I get that you’re upset I told someone else your personal shit, and I’m sorry, alright? But Jesus Christ what is the worst that’s come from it? You fucking spent almost the _entire night_ with her last night!”  
  
Elyza’s jaw dropped, _how the fuck did Kim know that?_ “But you asked – “ Kim swiftly held her hand up, commanding silence from Elyza, she accompanied the motion with a piercing look that caused Elyza literal momentary fear.  
  
“Oh my God, Alicia has become of my other closest friend’s, Elyza! She called me when she got home and told me all about it, I just wanted to hear it from you. And _don’t_ _you even dare try_ to tell me you didn’t _both_ need to find someone else who understood what you’re both going through.”  
  
“You don’t – “ Kim held her hand up, silencing Elyza once again, her piercing look only intensifying this time.  
  
“I don’t what, Elyza? I don’t know that your dad’s death is something you still feel the burden of every single day? I don’t know that the fact that you’ve never opened up about your mom’s addiction doesn’t eat you away? I can _listen_ to you talk about these things, but I cant _relate_ to Alicia can. So I fucking told her.” Kim was practically shouting at this point. “Because I can only do so much, and sometimes you just need more even if you’re too fucking stubborn to admit it. And I love you and I want you to be happy and okay.”  
  
“Don’t act like – “ Kim cut her off again.  
  
“Like I know you? I know you better than fucking anyone Elyza. So don’t tell me ‘I don’t know’ cause I fucking do, whether you like that or not.”  
  
“Kim I – “  
  
“Oh my god! Elyza just _shut up_ for two minutes and just let me talk, damnit.” Kim looked like she surprised even herself at that outburst. She looked bashful for a second, adding a quick ‘please’ before continuing.  
“You’re not even really mad _at me_.” Elyza huffed at that, and Kim rolled her eyes before carrying on again, eliminating Elyza’s chance to respond. “You’re not. You’re pissed because you’re so holed up behind whatever walls you’ve built to keep everyone out, and now you’ve found someone you want to let in. And you fucking liked talking to her about all that shit you’ve hidden deep away. You’re not mad _at me,_ You’re confused and scared because talking about it _made you feel better_ , for once.” Kim’s voice was soothing now rather than angry, but the words still felt like a smack in the face for Elyza, who was so surprised her jaw hung open.  
  
Kim let out a massive sigh, and slumped down next to Elyza once again. Kim looked at Elyza lovingly, and reassuringly squeezed her knee. “Lyza you just want to let someone else in, and you’re scared of that.”  
  
Elyza’s brows furrowed together as she stared at Kim, attempting to process everything she just heard. Her mouth moved wordlessly as she sorted through her thoughts.  
  
_She’s fucking right,_ Elyza thought. Elyza had, without a doubt, enjoyed her night with Alicia – hell, she hadn’t been able to get the girl out of her head since the day she met her, and last night was like a dream come true for her. Kim was right about everything. Nothing bad had come of it…in fact, Alicia and Elyza had really bonded over their personal struggles. And Elyza was genuinely surprised at how comforting and validating it felt to talk to someone who had experienced, and continued to experience, the pain that accompanied both the literal and figurative death’s of their family members. She was even more surprised at how badly she wanted to see Alicia again to experience that level of comfort again.  
  
_Shit, I am a massive asshole._ She wasn’t mad at Kim. She was scared.  
  
Elyza felt tears stinging behind her eyelids, and groaned as she rubbed her knuckles into her eyes to prevent any tears from actually falling. “First I’m fucking a fumbling, blushing, awkward idiot around a girl, and now I’m crying? What the hell is happening to me and how do I turn it off?”  
  
Kim let out a short laugh. “It’s called ‘having emotions’ _._ Welcome to the way the rest of the world lives, Elyza the ice queen.” Kim gently bumped her shoulder into Elyza’s. Elyza welcomed the comforting contact and leaned into Kim, resting her head on her friend’s shoulder.  
  
They remained silent for a moment, until Elyza broke the silence. “You’re right…about everything.” She slumped further into Kim’s shoulder as the words escaped her mouth, as if the verbal admittance drained the energy from her body.  
  
“I know.” Kim said simply. There was no smugness in her voice, just quiet reassurance.  
  
“And I’m sorry. That was…I’m sorry.” Elyza picked at a frayed piece of denim on her jeans. “I was just a huge piece of shit to you.” She suddenly felt very vulnerable – apparently that was becoming a common theme in her life.  
  
“I know. And yes, you were.” Kim gently squeezed her knee again. “But it’s okay, I understand.”  
  
Elyza lifted her head off Kim’s shoulder and pulled back just enough to look at her, eyes filled with gratitude. “You’re the best,” she said, before settling her head back into place.  
  
Elyza felt the muscles in Kim’s jaw stretch as the girl smiled and said, “I know.”  
  
In this moment, Elyza couldn’t have been more grateful to have a friend like Kim. She kept her shit together ninety percent of the time, but in that lone ten percent, Elyza was self admittedly a handful. Having someone to put her in her damn place with some tough love was exactly the thing she needed in those times. And Kim just served her everything she needed. Maybe Kim knew her better than she was willing to admit.  
Since they were having ‘a moment’, and since it was clear that Kim could tell Elyza was feeling all sorts of ways about Alicia, she decided she might as well take the opportunity to talk about it.  
  
With a long drawn out sigh, Elyza dove right in, simply stating, “She’s straight.”  
  
Kim scoffed, and waved a hand, dismissing the notion. “When has that ever stopped you?”  
  
Elyza sat up straight and shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips for a fleeting second – never, it had never stopped her. But that wasn’t the issue. “She has a boyfriend.”  
  
“And when has _that_ ever stopped you?”  
  
Elyza turned towards Kim, her lips pursing together in a disapproving frown.  
  
“Okay, okay.” Kim conceded, not missing a beat before excitedly adding, “But! She’s a Pisces, so like, you two are meant to be at least _something_.”  
  
“Kim. I have no clue what any of that means.” Elyza deadpanned.  
  
“Pisces. The astrological sign?” Elyza just stared blankly at Kim, who huffed. “Ugh. Okay so she’s a Pisces.” Kim stuck up one finger on her left hand to indicate Alicia. “And you’re a Capricorn.” Kim stuck up a finger on the other hand to indicate Elyza, bringing them to meet as she continued. “They’re compatible. Like _really_ Get it?”  
  
Elyza rolled her eyes skeptically. “So I’m supposed to believe that I could be ‘best friends,’” Elyza emphasized her point with air quotes, “because of some star stuff that may or not be accurate at all?”  
  
Kim laughed and plopped down next to Elyza. “Yeah.” she said simply. Kim didn’t respond for a long time, and Elyza thought the conversation might end at that, until Kim pushed up from her seat and stood in front of Elyza. When she spoke, her voice was thick with determination. “Things happen for a reason. And soul mates come in lots of different packages, it doesn’t have to be romantic – and I _know_ you don’t believe in this shit – _but,_ I think she’s meant to be in your life in some capacity.” Kim shrugged, and smirked at Elyza. “Even if you can’t fuck her.”  
  
Elyza snorted and rolled her eyes. “Oh my god, Kim.” Kim only shrugged, innocently, and the pair exploded into laughter.  
  
She didn’t know how Kim managed to know all of the right things to say, all of the time – but it was clear the girl had a damned gift.  
  
Their laughter died down, and only a few of seconds of silence passed before Elyza cleared her throat. “Hey…” Elyza started softly, looking up to lock eyes with Kim. “Thank you, for everything.” She paused before adding, “I love you, ya know.”  
  
“I know.” Kim shot Elyza a cheesy over-comedic grin, and the pair burst into laughter all over again.  
  
Kim reached down and grabbed both of Elyza’s hands, pulling the girl to her feet and into a hug. Elyza sunk into it, thankful all over again to have Kim in her life.  
  
The waitress pushed Elyza away playfully, “Alright, alright, enough sappy shit. You’re gonna loose you’re reputation as a hard ass. And I need to get back inside and finish helping Sharon.” She headed towards the back door before adding, with a smirk, “Unless you wanna intimidate her with your ‘scary angry Elyza’ look again.”  
  
Elyza let out an exaggerated surprised gasp as she followed behind Kim, cringing as she asked, “Was it that bad?”  
  
Kim didn’t respond, instead she looked over her shoulder as they crossed into the kitchen, giving Elyza a look that said ‘are you kidding me?’.  
  
Elyza playfully winced, but her words were sincere. “Oh no, I shou –“  
  
The sound of Elyza’s phone ringing broke into their conversation, and both girl’s stopped dead in their tracks, gaping at each other.  
  
“Did I somehow butt dial you?” Kim began frantically patting down her pockets to find her phone. The only reason Elyza even _had_ a phone was because Kim had forced her to take her old iPhone when she upgraded. Kim was _literally_ the only person she ever spoke to on the phone.  
  
Elyza’s face scrunched in further confusion as she checked her screen and realized it was a number she didn’t recognize. Kim grabbed Elyza’s hands, forcing her to show her the phone. A hint of recognition flashed across Kim’s face, and the waitress’ eyes lit up. “Shit! I forgot to tell you I gave Alicia your number.” Kim shot Elyza a shit eating grin as she watched the blonde’s jaw fall open.  
  
Elyza felt like her stomach had just been dropped from the fifth story of a building. Her palms were immediately sweaty, and her eyes widened like a damn deer in headlights. She held the phone out in front of her as if it was suddenly diseased. “Kim. Kim, what do I do?”  
  
Kim looked at Elyza in disbelief, and practically hissed, “Answer it, you dumbass!”  
  
Elyza fumbled with her phone, her hands suddenly not wanting to work, before finally managing to answer the phone.  
  
“Uhh…hello?” Elyza winced as she watched Kim smack her hand to her forehead at Elyza’s lame greeting.  
  
“Put it on speakerphone!” Kim loudly whispered as she gripped at Elyza’s jacket to gain her attention - to which the blonde sent a glare, but obliged.  
  
Alicia’s voice played over the speaker. “So everyone’s freaking out about that whole boardwalk thing we saw yesterday. There’s like, no one at school today. They’re sending everyone home early.”  
  
Kim tilted her head to the side as her face scrunched in question. Elyza pressed her thumb and forefinger to the ridge of her eyebrows, sliding her hand down her face in disbelief as she realized she still needed to tell Kim about the entire boardwalk event.  
  
She snapped her attention back to the conversation, suddenly realizing she wasn’t sure how to respond now. Kim was wildly motioning with her hands, urging Elyza to speak.  
  
“Um…okay?” Elyza audibly groaned as Kim threw her hands up and hung her head, mourning the death of any resemblance of suaveness that Elyza once possessed.  
  
Alicia was unfazed. “So I was kind of hoping that you might be able to pick me up?” Elyza’s eyes widened in surprise, and Kim excitedly punched Elyza in the shoulder and bounced from foot to foot. Alicia’s next sentence, however, destroyed their mutual moment of excitement. “Kim said you live near Matt, so…I thought maybe you could drop me off at his place? I still haven’t heard from him so I wanted to check on him.”  
  
Kim hissed out a “fuck”, frowning apologetically at Elyza, who felt a now familiar, yet still unwelcome and unwarranted twinge of jealousy.  
  
“Uh, yeah, sure, of course. I’m at Delux right now with Kim. I was going to head home to grab some things before I head out for a few days…” Elyza glanced at Kim and mouthed ‘sorry’ – she had been trying to be better about telling her friend when she was going to take off on an adventure – before continuing, “I’ll just swing by and pick you up on my way home.”  
  
Alicia sounded excited when she responded, “Okay cool, pick me up around noon.” With that, Elyza’s phone beeped, indicating the call had ended.  
  
Elyza barely registered that the call had ended before Kim began to spout a barrage of questions, simultaneously pushing Elyza out into the front of the restaurant. “Okay so one, you were at the boardwalk when that guy went all Hannibal Lecter?! Why didn’t you tell me?” Kim brought her fingers to her chin to sarcastically pose as if she was deep in thought. “Oh right, cause you were too busy being an asshole.” Kim shot Elyza a playful glance to let her know the insult was in jest before she continued. “Two, you’re going on a trip? Where are you going, how long will you be gone?”  
  
Elyza couldn’t help but laugh. “Jesus, Mom, overprotective much?”  
  
Kim played along, donning the perfect ‘mom voice’ and placing her hands on her hips. “You know I just worry about you, sweetheart.” She returned to her normal voice to press the issue. “But really though, tell me about the boardwalk.” Kim fumbled through her apron pockets for a pen and paper, thrusting them across the counter at Elyza. “And write down where you’re going so you don’t end up having to cut your own arm off like that one guy who got stuck in a canyon somewhere.”  
  
Elyza rolled her eyes, but took the materials. She jotted down a destination, and began to pass the paper back to Kim, before hesitating and snatching it back. She scribbled out her original line, and inscribed a new one onto the paper in tiny, neat letters. Sequoia National Park. Kim’s face fell as Elyza presented her with in information. “You need to get away that badly, huh?”  
  
Elyza just shrugged.  
  
Sequoia was the destination of the first inaugural father daughter camping trip. It was a holy place for Elyza – nature was her temple, the mountains her confessional, and Mother Nature her priest. She always felt cleaner, the issues plaguing her seeming to evaporate, as if she cleansed the negativity from every pore of her body during her visits. But it came with a sacrifice. The weight of Jake burdened her even more noticeably after every trip to Sequoia; as if the memories imprinted in the surroundings yearned to return to their owner. They sought Elyza out around every bend in the path. They floated along with the breeze that gently shook the trees, as if calling out to her. The memories stuck to her, desperately clinging to her body in an attempt to blend the past with the present, leaving her the slightest bit heaver at the conclusion of her journey.  
  
So she reserved Sequoia for only the direst of times. The times when she felt as though she was at her breaking point, flexed to her max and ready to snap at any second.  
  
With the sudden arrival of Alicia in her life, Elyza found herself the battleground of a civil war. Her usual isolated nature being ravaged by the sudden need for connection and comfort. The feelings had been swirling under the surface – a situation that had been confusing enough leading up to last nights events – but Kim had reached into her and ripped every shred of truth out of her. Everything was splayed in front of her now, raw and visceral, and Elyza was forced to deal with it head on.  
  
That alone called for a trip to her holy ground.  
  
But it wasn’t only that. It was that on top of the building claustrophobia caused by being confined to the city for an extended period. On top of the deep seeded pangs of dread that had rocked through her body yesterday after the events at the boardwalk. On top of how long she had spent being unable to shake that very feeling even after learning it was nothing to be concerned about. On top of how everything in her life felt foreign and scary and confusing suddenly.  
  
Elyza was past the point of needing to get away.  
  
The blonde snapped back to reality as she heard mention of the boardwalk attack in the distance. Both her and Kim turned their attention to the small TV mounted above the counter, where a newscaster was talking about the incident as a video captured by another witness played in the background.  
  
Kim’s jaw hung agape as she shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe drugs did that to someone. Tell me all about it.” She urged.  
  
“I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.” Elyza launched into the story, sparing no details as Kim listened intently.  
  


* * *

  
Elyza leaned against her bike, scanning the faces of the crowd slowly emerging from the high school.  
  
“Don’t you have like, I don’t know, something other than this death trap to transport me with?” Elyza jumped at the sudden voice that called out from her right and clutched at her heart, earning a hearty laugh from Alicia.  
  
She whirled around towards the voice, catching her first glimpse of Alicia. Elyza felt her knees go weak, and was thankful she had her bike next to her to help steady herself. She’d seen Alicia a few times now, and as cliché as it sounded, every time was like the first. Elyza was taken aback by how god damned attractive Alicia was every single time she saw her. She was pretty sure her mouth was hanging open, but she just wanted to take a few more seconds to appreciate the brunette who was sauntering over.  
  
“Rude.” Elyza stated simply, regaining her composure and shooting Alicia a stern look that crumbled almost immediately as Alicia only laughed harder. “And don’t call Annie a death trap, it hurts her feelings.” Elyza emphasized her point by pouting slightly.  
  
“Annie?” Alicia asked, amused.  
  
Elyza patted her motorcycle lovingly. “Yeah, named after Annie Jump Cannon.” She beamed at Alicia.  
  
The brunette looked less than impressed as she deadpanned, “…Who?”  
  
Elyza’s face fell in shock. “Annie Jump Cannon?”  
  
Alicia’s eyes narrowed as she shook her head, indicating she still had no clue who that was. Elyza continued. “Annie freaking Jump Cannon. Only _the_ single most important influence on modern day star classification? She was the first scientist to develop a catalog system for literally hundreds of thousands of stars? And she did it all _by hand_?”  
  
Alicia did nothing but stare at Elyza, eyebrows raised in slight judgment. Although Elyza swore she saw the tiniest hint of a smile tugging at Alicia’s lips. “…Anyways…” The brunette finally responded.  
  
Elyza shook her head in disbelief. “Obviously they’re not teaching you anything important in school.” She flashed a smile at Alicia, before mounting her bike and offering Alicia her spare helmet. “I know you’re anxious to see Matt, but if it’s okay, I wanted to swing by my place first real quick and pick a few things up. I can drop you off at Matt’s after and then be on my way?”  
  
“Ooh I get to see the place where all the magic happens?” Alicia said sarcastically, elbowing Elyza gently in the side.  
  
Elyza scoffed dismissing the statement and rolling her eyes. “Get on the damn motorcycle already.”  
  


* * *

  
“ _This_ is where you live?” Alicia asked in surprise, her face scrunched in disgust.  
  
“It’s not as bad as it looks?” Elyza laughed, realizing her voice was less than convincing.  
  
“It _looks_ like I’m going to get tetanus just from being near it.” Alicia folded her arms over her chest, as if trying to protect herself from the army germs that she surly believed waited inside the building.  
  
Elyza rolled her eyes as she unlocked the front door to her building. Most people probably wouldn’t have known there were even apartments in this building. Hell, most people probably wouldn’t have known this building was even _habitable_. In another life, the building had served as a canning factory – but today, it’s once brilliant façade was crumbling, most of the windows glazed with grime. Elyza didn’t blame Alicia for being wary about it.  
  
The front door always stuck, and Elyza had to use her shoulder to shove the door open, earning a skeptical look from Alicia. Elyza held the door open, but the brunette stood rooted to the spot, refusing to enter the building.  
  
Elyza rolled her eyes again. “Oh come on, you’ll be fine, _princess_.” The last word dripped with sarcasm. Elyza grabbed Alicia’s wrist and pulled her through the threshold and gently pushed her in the direction of the stairs.  
  
Alicia struggled for a second, unwilling to give up her ground, but allowed Elyza to guide her into the building. “Ugh okay, okay. But I’m not touching anything.”  
  
Elyza barked out a short laugh. The building _was_ a piece of shit. And it’s not like they had a cleaning staff…or maintenance staff…or anything an apartment building should probably have. Okay so, admittedly, it really was pretty gross; but the rent was cheap, and Elyza had made it her home.  
  
“How long have you lived here?” Alicia grimaced as she touched something sticky on the handle railing of the stairs.  
  
“Almost the entire time I’ve been in L.A.,” Elyza counted on her fingers. “So…about four years now.”  
  
They reached the third floor, and Elyza led the way down the hallway towards her apartment. Her keys jingled as she unhooked them from her belt loop. A knowing look washed over her face as she paused, smiling as she held up a finger to Alicia, indicating for her to wait as well. Alicia cocked an eyebrow in question, but received her answer as she heard the locks of the door across the hallway click rhythmically, allowing the door to swing open to reveal an elderly woman.  
  
She stood bent over a cane, worn and weathered with age. Her powdery white hair was cropped close to her head, a stark contrast to her dark olive skin. Time had taken its toll on her body, but her bright green eyes sparkled brilliantly with a youthfulness and sharpness that told Alicia the woman’s mind was still sharp as a tack.  
  
The woman smiled sweetly at Elyza, and motioned for her to come closer. Elyza didn’t hesitate, making her way over to the woman, stooping to envelope her in a hug.  
  
“Mmmm,” the woman hummed out. “Elyza I haven’t seen you in over a week!” She caught a glimpse of Alicia over Elyza’s shoulder and gripped the blonde on both shoulders. “Oh my, and who is this lovely young lady?”  
  
The older woman hid her face behind Elyza’s torso as she raised her eyebrows questioningly at Elyza, who flushed deep red, eyes widening as she covertly shook her head ‘no’. The woman looked skeptical, but nodded curtly, accepting Elyza’s answer, sufficiently ending their silent conversation.  
  
Marion Platt had taken to Elyza immediately after the blonde moved in. Elyza was always willing to help – she was the older woman’s handy man, grocery helper, trash taker-outer, and cleaning service. Anything Mrs. Platt needed, Elyza was there to help with. And in reward, the blonde received the first real matronly figure in her life. Not to mention some pretty sweet stories from the older woman’s childhood in Greece.  
  
As the years went on, Mrs. Platt couldn’t help but notice the steady stream of women that trickled in and out of Elyza’s apartment – her hearing was practically supersonic, and she heard every single girl that came and went.  
She had finally decided to confront Elyza about it.  
   
_Elyza’s head and shoulders were crammed under the kitchen sink. Tools laid haphazardly around her, some balanced on her torso. She held a flashlight between her teeth as she tinkered with the pipe._  
  
_“Can you hand me that wrench?” She mumbled out around the flashlight, pointing in the general direction of the tool._  
  
_“Of course, dear.” Marion thrust the wrench under the cabinet._  
  
_A split second passed before she added, “So why haven’t you told me you’re a lesbian?”_  
  
_Elyza shot up, a loud thump reverberating throughout the apartment as she smacked her forehead against the pipe. She groaned, sliding out from under the sink, wincing as she rubbed her forehead._  
  
_“Are you alright?” Marion shuffled to the freezer to retrieve some ice._  
  
_Elyza groaned again, “Yes, I’ll be fine,” she said as the accepted the small baggie of ice from the older woman._  
  
_Marion stood in front of Elyza, one hand on her hip, the other on her cane, silently pressing the issue._  
  
_Elyza sighed, leaning back against the cabinet. “I don’t know.” The blonde’s eyebrows furrowed together in thought. “I didn’t think you’d approve.”_  
  
_Marion barked out a laugh. “Sweetie, as long as you’re happy, other people’s approval doesn’t matter.” Marion looked at Elyza pointedly. “Take that from an old lady who spent her entire life trying to make everyone but herself happy.”_  
  
_Elyza felt a wave of relief wash over her._  
  
_Mrs. Platt continued, “I just wish you had told me so I could have stopped asking you about ‘all the boys in your life,’” she chuckled, “but now I can ask about all the girls!” A brilliant smile spread across the woman’s face, and Elyza couldn’t help but mirror it._  
  
Ever since that day, Mrs. Platt had fully embraced the doting grandmother role in Elyza’s life. She wanted to see Elyza settle down with someone so badly. So lovingly nagging about marriage? Adopting children? A house with a white picket fence? Mrs. Platt had it all covered. Elyza didn’t have the heart to tell the woman that the likelihood of any of that was practically nonexistent.  
  
“Oh! I’m Alicia.” The brunette closed the distance across the hallway, extending her hand to the woman, who scoffed and batted it away – opting instead to pull Alicia into a hug. The brunette grunted, surprised at the woman’s strength and sudden grip around her. “It’s nice to meet you.” Alicia managed to squeak out despite the crushing hug forcing the air from her lungs.  
  
“It’s lovely to meet you too, dear.” Mrs. Platt loosened her grip and beamed up at the brunette, before turning her attention back to Elyza. “When are we playing cards again, Elyza?”  
  
Alicia couldn’t hold back her laugh, amusedly asking, “You two play cards?”  
  
“Well dear, I don’t know if I would call it _playing cards_ as much as I would call it kicking Elyza’s ass.” A huge smile plastered Mrs. Platt’s face as chuckled at her own joke, poking at Elyza with her cane.  
  
Elyza groaned, and stretched her arms out over her shoulders, linking her fingers together to cup her hands behind her neck as she pouted. “Hey now! I win!” She paused, allowing her pout to intensify before adding, “sometimes…”  
  
Alicia was full on belly laughing now, and Mrs. Platt and Elyza couldn’t help but join in. As the laughter died down, Mrs. Platt addressed them both. “Well I’ll let you two get back to your plans.” She hobbled towards Elyza, pulling her in for another hug. “You come see me soon, I’ll make you dinner.” She poked at Elyza again. “You’re too skinny.”  
  
Elyza rolled her eyes, but a huge smile was plastered on her face. “Yes ma’am. I’ll be gone for about a week, but I promise you’ll be the first person I see when I get back.”  
  
Platt nodded curtly, before grabbing Alicia and pulling her into a hug again. “And you’re welcome to dinner too, dear.” Mrs. Platt winked at Elyza over Alicia’s shoulder.  
  
Elyza glanced at Alicia, whose look of surprise was quickly overridden with a growing, genuine smile. Elyza felt her stomach explode in butterflies, her heart skipping a beat at the sight.  
  
“I would love that.” Alicia responded, sweetly.  
  
Marion smiled at the two girls once more before returning to her apartment. As the door clicked shut, Alicia wasted no time, and rounded on Elyza.  
  
“So you’re awkward as hell, _and_ you play cards and have dinner dates with your old lady neighbor,” Alicia’s arms were firmly, and very sassily, mounted on her hips, her head tilted to the side as if trying to size up the blonde in front of her. “Where is this suave ‘ice queen’ I’ve heard so much about?”  
  
Elyza scoffed as she pushed through her doorway, holding the door open to invite Alicia into the space. “Just because I don’t want to let everyone into my life doesn’t mean I can’t be nice to people, you know.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” Alicia dismissed the notion as she stepped into Elyza’s apartment, stopping dead in her tracks. “Woah. This is not at all what I was expecting.”  
  
Alicia turned to look at Elyza, who raised one eyebrow and shrugged, a small smile playing at her lips.  
  
The room was modest – but beautiful, homey, and immaculate. Elyza had made the absolute best of the small industrial space. She had scrubbed the entire apartment from top to bottom the minute she moved on. She washed the windows of their layer of dirt and grime, restoring their brilliance. A good power washing, patch, and seal of the brick walls left them looking as new as the day they were installed (or so Elyza liked to imagine). And with a little bit of sanding and a new beautiful dark finish, the original wood plank flooring had taken on new life. After all the work, the once grimy apartment rivaled upper scale buildings that charged quadruple the amount of rent as this one.  
  
A spotless, ‘U’ shaped kitchenette was situated to the left of the entryway, cabinets lined the far left wall, and a small breakfast bar countertop paralleled them. The wall directly in front of them was almost completely covered by windows – beautiful, factory style paneled windows. Elyza had lightly frosted the bottom most panels, but left the top ones clear, allowing natural light to pour abundantly over the entire apartment. To the right, a small room housed the master bathroom.  
  
The space between the windowed wall and the master bathroom left a small nook that Elyza had adopted as her small art studio. This was the only part of the apartment that was ‘messy’ in any way. Art supplies of all kinds seemed to be crammed into every possible inch of the space. Easels sporting canvases with half finished paintings, old worn sketchbooks piled on a small wooden work bench, pallets with dried paint from old projects, rusted metal buckets overflowing with all kinds and colors of paints.  
  
There was no real furniture, aside from the ‘bed’ that was placed directly in front of the sprawling windows. A mattress was situated on a stack of discarded pallets, making a sort of platform extending past the edge of the mattress to hold bedside items. Elyza kept a hearty number of plants along the windowed wall and surrounding the platform her bed rested on - creating a kind of natural privacy barrier. She allowed some of the more invasive breeds to creep up along the brick wall and metal window frames. Some had even reached the exposed beams crossing her ceiling, where more basket plants hung from, creating a sparse natural canopy. It was a beautiful marriage of industry and nature.  
  
Elyza jumped up to sit on the edge of the countertop of the breakfast bar, eyes glued to the brunette as Alicia traversed her small studio. Alicia wandered around the room, letting her fingertips gently graze over the walls, plants, and surfaces as she explored. The light flooding into the room washed over the brunette, highlighting every feature of the woman – _she looked like a damn angel_. Elyza felt her body buzz with warmth as she drank in the scene in front of her.  
  
Elyza noticed the brunette’s interest piqued over something, stomach dropping as she watched Alicia gingerly approach the only picture in the entire studio. Elyza kept her picture of Jake and Abby framed next to her bed. The stain on the wood was worn on the top from years of Elyza’s habitual gentle touch in the same spot. Elyza felt bile rise deep in her throat, her chest burning as she thought back on the night she took the picture from her childhood home.  
  
Alicia slowly extended her hand towards the photo, pausing just before making contact. She hesitated for a moment, hand hovering inches from the photo, before drawing back. “That’s your dad.” She stated softly without taking her eyes off the picture.  
  
Elyza swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “Yes.” She said quietly.  
  
“You look like him.” Alicia responded, before abandoning the photo to explore the nook in the corner.  
  
Elyza slid off the counter, and approached Alicia, leaning against the wall as Alicia looked over the canvases crammed into the small space.  
  
“I didn’t know you were an artist.” She stated simply, not bothering to look up from the artwork as she spoke.  
  
“An artist,” Elyza let out a small laugh. “That sounds so…“  
  
“Formal.” Alicia finished for her. Elyza nodded. “Matt says the same thing.”  
  
Elyza nodded and hummed in response. She hesitated a moment before deciding to ask, “Have you talked to him at all yet?”  
  
Alicia played with the cover of a sketchbook, her eyes downcast. “No. I still haven’t heard from him.”  
  
Elyza’s chest tightened. It was clear that Alicia genuinely cared for Matt, and Elyza couldn’t imagine how worried she was about him.  
  
She awkwardly scratched the back of her head, teasing the shorter hairs of her undercut with her fingers. “Well, lets get you over there then. I’ll be quick with packing.” Alicia stood rooted to the spot, eyes unwavering, her mind obviously occupied. Elyza cleared her throat and slowly added, “You can look through those…if you want.” She didn’t usually like people looking through her sketchbooks, but Alicia needed something to calm her right now.  
  
Alicia met Elyza’s eyes briefly, silently thanking her. She gathered a stack of sketchbooks, and carried them over to Elyza’s bed without hesitation. Alicia sprawled out over Elyza’s mattress, nuzzling into the comforter, before selecting a book from the stack to page through.  
  
Elyza’s stomach fluttered briefly at the sight. She chuckled, “Just make yourself at home.”  
  
“Oh thanks I will,” Alicia joked back, flashing a smile that made the blonde’s knees go weak.  
  
Elyza rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. She stood frozen in place for a moment – taking in the woman sprawled across her bed. Appreciating every single inch of Alicia…her long legs tangled in the comforter, the tendrils of hair that swept across her face, her long slender fingers that traced over the lines Elyza had etched onto the pages, the way the brunette’s lips were slightly parted and how her tongue darted out occasionally to wet them… Elyza traced the image in her mind, resolving to put the mental image to paper later.  
  
She found her mind wandering further. She couldn’t help but think about how badly she wished Alicia could just stay here, in her bed all day long. How badly she wished she could _join_ Alicia in her bed… her heart constricted, conflicted as she strived to appreciate the moment, but simultaneously craving more from it.  
  
Elyza mentally scolded herself. _You need to stop,_ she thought to herself. Shaking herself out of her daydreams, Elyza forced herself to get back on task – packing. _You need to pack._ She made her way across the room and had just begun to rummage through her makeshift closet when she heard music begin to play over the speakers scattered throughout her apartment.  
  
She glanced over her shoulder at the brunette. Elyza’s laptop sat next to Alicia, Pandora displayed on the screen. “What? I made myself at home.” Alicia said innocently with a shrug. Elyza shook her head lightly, but smiled. It was her favorite song – the FJK remix of Lianna La Havas’ Unstoppable.  
  
Elyza turned back towards her closet to hide her growing smile – in fact, she realized suddenly, she hadn’t stopped smiling the entire time she had spent with Alicia. Her cheeks even hurt from it.  
  
“So where are you going, anyways?” Alicia called out from across the room.  
  
“Sequoia.” Elyza said simply as she rolled the few remaining items of clothing she hadn’t pre-prepared into neat, compact tubes.  
  
“For how long?”  
  
“I’m not sure…” Elyza hesitated, shrugging, “For as long as it takes?”  
  
“Takes for what?”  
  
Elyza shoved the rolled up clothing into Jake’s old backpack along with the other necessities she kept in there permanently. She grabbed her kukri machete, carrying both items over to the bed. She sighed, shrugging again, “For me to feel like me again.”  
  
Alicia’s eyes widened at the sheathed blade as Elyza set it next to her. “What’s that for?” Alicia asked, picking the blade up and weighing it in her hands.  
  
Elyza sat on the bed next to Alicia. “Lots of things. I use it to cut wood for firewood, or to kill a fish to cook, or to clear some brush if I find a spot I want to set my tent up in.”  
  
Elyza liked to live off the land as much as possible when she went on longer trips. Jake had taught her everything she needed to know to survive without modern shelter or commodities, and frankly, she felt most herself when she was alone in the wilderness, and it gave her a chance to clear her mind, to reprioritize and reevaluate her life.  
  
It was the classic man versus nature storyline – her other problems faded away and boiled down to one singular goal: survival. Having to provide fire, shelter, food, all of the basic necessities for yourself took precedence to everything else. It made all your other problems seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things.  
  
Alicia remained quiet for a long time, tracing the grip of the machete with her fingertips, and Elyza thought she might not respond. Finally, Alicia broke the silence. “Will you take me sometime?”  
  
Elyza’s eyes widened in surprise. “To Sequoia?”  
  
Alicia nodded curtly.  
  
The blonde sucked in a deep breath. She had never taken anyone else aside from Jake with her on camping trip before…plus she didn’t really peg Alicia as the ‘outdoorsy type.’ Elyza scratched the back of her head, “You don’t uh…you don’t really strike me as the kind of person who likes camping?”  
  
Alicia cocked her head, raising an eyebrow at the blonde. “You can say no if you want.”  
  
Elyza shook her head, “No, no. It’s not that.” She was torn between having the opportunity to spend an extended period of time with Alicia in a totally different way, and…’tarnishing’ her holy space. She scrunched her face in thought, “It’s just. I’ve never taken anyone else there before. Aside from my dad, I mean…” Elyza wrought her hands together in her lap, suddenly feeling nervous.  
  
“Oh,” Alicia said gently, “It’s okay, I get it.” _Of course she did_ , Elyza thought.  
  
Elyza was quiet for a long time, brows furrowed together as she thought about the prospect of bringing someone new to Sequoia. She thought back to the conversation her and Kim had earlier today, and how adamant Kim was about the importance of Alicia’s entrance into her life. She sighed, running her fingers through her hair before turning to Alicia. Blue eyes met green, and Elyza decided to embrace whatever the hell all that stuff Kim was talking about.  
  
“Yeah…Yeah, I’ll take you someday.”

* * *

 

“This is it, this one.” Alicia said over the helmet intercom system, pointing over Elyza’s shoulder at a house.  
  
Elyza pulled into the driveway of Matt’s home, and Alicia practically jumped off the bike. Elyza’s heart sank. _What the hell is wrong with you,_ she scolded herself for the feeling. Alicia had been so concerned about Matt, she should be happy the girl’s finally getting to see him.  
  
“Are you gonna get up so I can hug you or are you just gonna ride away into the sunset without saying goodbye?” Alicia stood next to the bike, tapping her foot impatiently, but a smile played at her lips.  
Elyza let out a small laugh, before shutting the bike off and dismounting. She barely had her helmet off her head before the brunette launched herself into Elyza, draping her arms around the blonde’s neck. Elyza stood stiffly, paralyzed for a second, before wrapping her arms around Alicia’s waist, sinking into the hug. Her head swam, entire body buzzing, as she was overwhelmed by Alicia’s scent and touch.  
  
“Thank you for bringing me here.” Alicia mumbled into the blonde’s shoulder before pushing away to look her in the eyes. “And be safe on your trip. Don’t die or anything.”  
  
Elyza chuckled, “I’ll try my best.” She joked.  
  
Alicia smiled, eyes sparkling, before turning on her heel and jogging to Matt’s front door. Elyza sighed, watching the woman run towards the home before turning away herself to mount her bike once more.  
  
She hadn’t even donned her helmet before Alicia’s voice pierced through the air. “Elyza?” Something was wrong, Alicia’s voice was laced with fear and concern. Elyza’s head snapped towards the sound. Alicia stood still, pointing at the front door. “Elyza the door was open. Wide open, like not just unlocked.” Elyza watched as the brunette pushed the door open further, peeking her head inside to peer around before backing away. Elyza could see even from a distance that her hands were shaking. “The living room is a mess…”  
  
_Holy shit._ Alicia hadn’t heard from Matt in over a day now. Maybe someone broke in? Maybe he’s hurt? Maybe he’s dead…  
  
“Don’t go in yet.” Elyza yelled out. She could feel her heart beating, her fingers tingling as the adrenaline immediately surged through her body. She dug through her saddlebag, retrieving her gun. She clipped the holster to her hip, pulling her shirt down to conceal it. Alicia gaped at her as she saw the blonde handle the weapon.  
  
Elyza jogged up the sidewalk to the front door. Alicia was stiff, concern wrought throughout her entire body. Elyza’s stomach clenched as she noticed the brunette had tears in her eyes. “It’s okay,” she said reassuringly, as she instinctively placed herself in front of Alicia.  
  
“Elyza why do you have _that_?” Alicia pointed at the bulge under Elyza’s shirt.  
  
“For situations like this.” Elyza said shortly. This was not the time to debate or explain why she had a gun. Alicia hesitated, mouth moving silently as she tried to think of a response. Finally, she seemed to accept the answer, nodding swiftly.  
  
Elyza pushed the door open the rest of the way, stepping into the living room, keeping one hand on the handle of the gun and the other outstretched backwards to maintain contact with Alicia. Alicia followed closely behind, one hand gripping the back of Elyza’s jacket as the pair moved throughout the living room.  
  
“His room is down that hallway.” Alicia whispered out.  
  
Elyza nodded, but didn’t move. She could feel her heartbeat throughout her entire body. Standing silently, she listened for any kind of noise to indicate an intruder’s location. She turned towards Alicia, holding her finger to her lips – a nonverbal order to remain silent. Alicia nodded, releasing her grip on the blonde’s jacket. Alicia watched as Elyza silently crept around the room, poking her head into a few doorways. After a brief exploration, she declared, “I don’t think anyone is here.”  
  


The pair noticeably relaxed, letting out simultaneous sighs of relief.

  
“Matt has to be here.” Alicia said desperately, as she made her way towards the hallway. “Matt!” She called out, receiving no answer. “Matt!” She called out again, as she ventured further down the hallway.  
  
“Alicia, shhh we don’t know _for sure_ that someone’s not in here.” Elyza hissed out.  
  
Alicia paid no mind, pushing onwards until she came to an open door. She froze in place as she looked into the room. “Oh my god.”  
  
Elyza felt a surge of panic, and rushed down the hallway, reaching Alicia in less than a second. Elyza practically rammed into Alicia in her haste, but the brunette didn’t budge. Elyza peered over Alicia’s shoulder into the room.  
  
A boy, Matt presumably, was haphazardly propped up against the headboard of the bed. He was drenched in sweat, yet shivering uncontrollably. His breathing was ragged and strained. A grimace was plastered on his face, his eyes squeezed tightly shut as if every tiny movement was causing him intense pain.  
  
Alicia burst into the room, gently taking Matt’s face in her hands. The boy opened his eyes at the touch. He seemed confused at first, taking a minute to come to. But a small, tired, smile graced his lips as he noticed Alicia in front of him.  
  
“Matt, you’re burning up…” Alicia whipped around to address Elyza, who stood awkwardly in the doorway to the room. “Elyza, can you get a cool towel?”  
  
Elyza nodded, before swiftly taking off towards the kitchen to retrieve a rag. Taking the moment alone to wonder what the fuck was going on. How did Matt get this sick so quickly? He needed help, _real help._ Elyza pulled her phone out and dialed 911, holding it against her ear with her shoulder as she frantically searched through drawers to find a clean rag to wet. The line beeped three times, and a prerecorded voice came over the phone: “We are sorry, the emergency service you are requesting is currently busy. Please hang up, and call again.” Elyza froze. _What the fuck…_ She dialed 911 again, getting the same busy signal. _How is that possible?_  
  
She continued her search, finding a rag and soaking it in the coldest water that would run from the tap. She hurried down the hall, back to the bedroom.  
  
Alicia was sitting on the bed next to Matt, helping to prop him up. Elyza handed the rags off to Alicia, she grabbed her wrist softly to keep the brunettes attention for a second longer. Elyza kept her voice down, she didn’t want to worry Alicia, or Matt for that matter. “I called 911, it was busy.”  
  
Alicia’s brows furrowed together in disbelief. “How…?” Elyza shrugged, sharing the feeling of disbelief.  
  
Matt groaned, regaining Alicia’s attention. He was trying to talk, but his words were mostly grunts.  
   
“Babe, I can’t understand what you’re saying.” Alicia said, as she gently wiped his face down with the cold rag.  
  
Matt strained to sit up, wincing in pain with the effort. He weakly pushed Alicia’s hand away from his forehead. He gulped, as if swallowing a huge lump in his throat. “You shouldn’t be here,” he managed to weakly rasp out. “It’s…not safe.”  
  
Alicia’s brows knitted together again, she cocked her head in confusion, reaching again towards Matt’s forehead with the cool towel. “Babe, you’re sick. You need help.”  
  
Matt winced again. “Alicia. No.” He looked her in the eyes, desperately pleading with her.  
  
Elyza suddenly couldn’t help but feel like she was intruding on something very intimate. Her body itched with discomfort, a wave of awkwardness washing over her as she backed slowly towards the doorway. She didn’t want to leave Alicia completely alone, in case she needed some sort of help with Matt…but she also couldn’t shake the feeling that she was encroaching on a moment she had no business being a part of.  
  
Without a word, she slinked to the living room. _What the fuck is happening right now,_ she thought as she paced back and forth, _what the fuck is wrong with Matt?_ Elyza pressed the heel of her hand against the ridge of her eyebrows, _and how is 911 busy? That only happens after major disast –_ she cut herself off mid thought. Something wasn’t sitting right in Elyza’s stomach with this entire situation.  
  
But jesus, she couldn’t trust any of her thoughts lately. She had been overthinking, overanalyzing, and overreacting to every little thing lately. The Kim situation, as she was referring to it now, was a prime example. Taking a deep breath, Elyza tried to calm herself. She sunk down onto a couch, letting her head flop back onto the headrest. She took another deep breath through her nose, exhaling through her mouth, long and slow. _Just breathe, and be a normal person, please,_ she mentally scolded herself. She remained motionless – focusing on her breathing, trying to push any thought from her mind. She lay there, forcing herself into relaxation for probably ten minutes.  
  
Her head shot up as she heard quick footsteps coming down the hallway. Alicia was looking down at her phone, a tense expression pulling at her face. “My mom has called me like fifty times…” She sounded frustrated, but abandoned the phone on the counter. Alicia retrieved a glass from a cabinet and filled it from the tap. “He asked for some water,” She said simply, but didn’t move, “and to talk to you.”  
  
Elyza gaped at Alicia. “Me? What? Why?”  
  
“He’s trying to convince me to leave.” Alicia was obviously frustrated at the entire situation.  
  
“Um…okay?” Elyza stood slowly, glancing in Alicia’s direction as if asking for permission. She was confused as to why Matt would ask for her. She felt invasive enough just _being_ there, but to now be a part of the conversation felt like a gross overreach. Alicia crossed the kitchen to thrust the glass of water into Elyza’s hands, and then motioned to the blonde to go see Matt. “Just go, I have to call my mom anyways.” The brunette’s words were short, biting.  
  
Elyza looked at Alicia with confusion, and Alicia’s frustrated expression softened slightly – letting Elyza know she wasn’t upset with _her_ but with the situation. Elyza smiled weakly, accepting the silent, small apology before turning to tend to Matt.  
  
Elyza knocked softly on the door before sticking her head in. Matt’s breathing already sounded more strained. She cautiously entered the room, slowly approaching the boy.  
  
“Uhh…do you want this now?” She gestured to the glass of water. Matt shook his head, so she sat the water down on the bedside table.  
  
The two stood silently, awkwardly looking at each other for a moment. Elyza shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. After what felt like forever, but in reality was probably less than a minute, Matt reached out to grab Elyza’s wrist; he looked desperate. “You need to get her somewhere safe. Get her to her parents’ house.  
  
Elyza was taken aback. “What?”  
  
Matt winced in pain as he reached towards his collar. He pulled at his shirt, slowly exposing part of his chest. Elyza noticed a bit of blood, and moved in closer to further inspect the wound. Matt pulled the shirt over further, exposing a raw, inflamed bite mark. A _human_ bite mark.  
  
“What the fuck…” Elyza breathed out. Her eyes widened as she looked from the bite mark, to Matt, and back to the bite mark.  
  
Images from the boardwalk flashed through her mind.  
  
Elyza felt as though she had been punched in the stomach. The feeling of dread that she had been consumed by at the boardwalk rushed to the surface. She had ignored it, ignored the feeling seeping into her bones, making a home within the core of her body. But now, the feeling was clawing through her, ripping through bone and muscle and organs to reach the surface.  
   
“This isn’t from drugs…is it?” While her voice indicated that she already knew the answer, she needed to be sure. She needed to hear it. Matt held her gaze, and she saw a flicker of emotion, of fear, flash across his eyes.  
  
“No.” He responded simply.  
  
The realization of the situation crashed violently upon Eliza. She suddenly felt dizzy. Her knees gave out, forcing her to a sitting position on the side of Matt’s bed. She sat perfectly still for a moment, blankly staring ahead as the situation seemed to sink in. She buried her face in her hands, shaking her head, scoffing at herself. _Drugs my ass, I knew it wasn’t drugs._ She had seen it first hand, in real life. She _knew_ what she saw on the boardwalk wasn’t caused by drugs. She knew there was no way some bad weed would have caused someone to _eat_ another live human. But she had believed the media, like a fucking idiot.  
  
She had spent the last few days lulling herself into a sense of security, ignoring her gut feelings, when she should have been running. Running far away from here. But to where? Was this just L.A.? Was this everywhere? Where was safe? What’s the best option now?  
  
What even was this? Obviously some sort of disease, a mutated form of rabies maybe. Was the bite how it was transferred? Do you _get bit_ and then get this? Or do you get this and _then_ bite? Was it airborne? Blood borne? Was there a cure? Do you die if you’re bit? How many people are infected? A thousand questions continued to rattle through Elyza’s brain. She needed some sort of plan. She didn’t know where to go, but she knew she couldn’t stay here.  
  
Matt’s voice jolted her from her thoughts. “You need to get her somewhere safe.” He said again, gravely.  
  
Elyza could barely speak. Her chest felt like an anvil was pressing all the air from her lungs, her mouth was dry as cotton. The two held each other’s gaze, as if silently sealing a promise to protect Alicia. Elyza solemnly nodded.  
  
Alicia cleared her throat from the doorway, and Elyza and Matt both turned their attention to the brunette. Elyza backed away from Matt, offering the space to the brunette.  
  
“Babe, come here.” Matt gestured for her to come closer. Elyza’s stomach dropped at the use of the pet name.  
  
Alicia obliged, settling into her old position next to him. Matt leaned his head on Alicia’s shoulder, letting his fingers travel down her forearm. He rolled her sleeve up to expose the heart he had drawn in permanent market, and gently traced the shape.  
  
Elyza’s stomach dropped at the sight. She felt horribly invasive once again. But she definitely didn’t feel comfortable leaving Alicia alone with Matt now. She didn’t even know if it was okay for him to be touching her. But she knew she couldn’t be the one to pull Alicia away from him. So she resolved to backing into the doorway, leaning against the doorframe with her attention devoted to the numerous sketches pinned up on the wall.  
  
She tried not to listen as Matt continued to convince Alicia to leave.  
  
“Listen to me, my parents will be home soon. You know I’ll be fine, you know that.”  
  
“No I’m not leaving you,” Alicia said stubbornly. She paused before softly adding, “I love you.”  
  
“I love you too. That’s why you have to go.”  
   
When Alicia didn’t respond, Elyza glanced over to make sure everything was alright. The brunette was shaking her head, continuing to stubbornly insist upon staying.  
  
“You have to go.” He said again. When Alicia still didn’t react, Matt’s voice grew stern, almost angry. “ _Go_.” His face was rigid, helping to convey just how serious he was.  
  
Alicia let out a frustrated sigh, before yielding. She leaned in to give him a hug, and Matt melted into the embrace, treasuring the moment.  
  
Alicia ripped herself away from him after a moment, her frustration getting the better of her. There were tears in her eyes as she pushed past Elyza to exit the room.  
  
Elyza turned to follow the brunette out of the house. She hesitated, though, turning back to Matt. “Thank you,” she said gently, before exiting the room. She knew she wouldn't have been able to get Alicia to leave on her own.   
  
She wondered what would happen to Matt. Hell, she wondered what would happen to _her_. _To_ _Alicia_.  
  
She sighed, rubbing at her temples as she quickly headed to her motorcycle. She had a million things to figure out, like where the hell was she going to go? What the hell was she going to do? Where was she going to go?  
  
Alicia was waiting next to the motorcycle, arms folded, helmet already donned. “My mom is flipping out, she practically screamed at me to get home.”  
  
Elyza’s stomach sank – did Alicia’s parents know something more too? Her blood went cold at the thought of what this could mean. Of what this _meant_.  
  
She shook herself back to reality. Focusing on the task at hand: she needed to get Alicia home safely.  
 

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own and I'm in no way affiliated with the character Alicia Clark or other content from the Fear the Walking Dead series/characters. Please don't sue me, I am a poor college student.


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